Slavery was a harsh topic filled with many problems and history. Murai didn't like it from its mere name, nor did he like it from the way he had seen it in the last Gate. It reminded him of some lives where he was a slave himself, but wasn't he an overall slave to his entire Cursed Living? In that vision, who were David, Ultium, Itrosh, or Bagus, didn't matter. He didn't matter as everyone was subjective to their beliefs.
Living from life to life, world to world, filling the void with hopes or insanity, he wasn't even sure what meaning there was for him.
His reason was deeper, he tended to believe. Much deeper than what was possible even in the most abnormal ideas he could imagine. At its core, his lives was a never-ending course of force that affected him alone. The world was the aftereffects; so were the people, or... something else? He didn't like how his memories functioned because of it, or how it seemed to have to end. At first, he never forgot anything. Then, he began to forget it all. He had no choice. Slowly, the weight of his lives started to be too much, affecting him in his attempts to live.
It always crushed his morale when some lives proved to be good or hard, or when they reminded him of something hateful or good. That usually revolved around the origin, or how it all started. How? He had little to no idea. Perhaps it was about the lack of care, or simply because his soul held too much of what he had cast even deeper away.
Usually, he was the cause of his misery. He was his own curse; his act. He must have done something terrifying to deserve it. That was his belief when his true misery started, shaking his belief and hate, or even his concept of self. How exactly it ended or started didn't matter to him, because he started to bitterly accept it and decided to be hateful when he could. Not at everything, but at things that he decided to rule out to be hateful.
He always through in bits of the past. There was no helping it, he believed. It was his curse to take that history to every New Beginning, even if it hurt or felt wrong.
Murai was wrong. He was a slave, which was why he pitied all slaves with a passion as if it was a melodramatic display. It was a personal problem, not a systematic cause. He doubted such things as misery would ever disappear like his own living. As long as there was power in the universe and intelligent life, it was akin to a Law.
A Law that should crack apart, disappear to obscurity, and never come back. From where or how? Well, he liked to imagine that the End never felt wrong. It was welcoming until he was snatched and crashed into something new.
Around him, stepping and taking nothing wrong against his existence, Murai didn't blame anyone. His new Helpers were blissfully unaware of his living experience. Only Lisa had some basic concept of it, but he wasn't even sure why she knew and got even a little bit of his lives to her head. He simply didn't care how it happened.
Itrosh was a relatively proud, ongoing, and beastly woman. Murai couldn't define her as anything else. She was almost cheery like a teenager but brutal like a tigress. She still had some femininity thanks to her figure and voice, and she was quite open and free in mind. She was also sharp and closer to a beast than most humans. It suggested that her meddling with Bloodlines and evolution caused it or her mind grew up like her flesh.
Perhaps she was even a human, once. Because of that, Murai wasn't sure how to call or describe her. She should be considered as her own little thing, yet her voice was close to human women, so he went along with accepting her as that.
Outside of her, Bagus was a laughable and well-behaved fella who was far from being a demon. He was almost like a giant puppy that had some pride and sincerity, yet his voice and reasonings were more than open and good.
Both of them had a simple sense of duty and business with David, which was the reason they traveled with him, but was it all? Murai doubted their cause wasn't far from greed, hopes, or even some dreams. They accepted him simply because there was something to gain.
In some of his dreadful lives, he wasn't sure if trust was something he should give left, right, and center. Was it this sort of life? He had yet to go through any decisions, deciding that he would struggle like always, and if End would come at him, he would accept it. Perhaps it wasn't fair for Lisa, but who was he to blame? It wasn't as if he wanted to die willingly anyway. It was just natural.
Taking the last day into account and her plan-making, she gave him some gist of plans, but not serious details. Their time in Helltrim City went a little bit longer because Bagus had some work far away from Helltrim City, so David and Lisa spent more time there while Murai trained.
Razmund hadn't appeared back then, but Lisa definitely didn't like to spend more than a day in that city. Luckily, it worked, so a weird party filled to the brim with weird beings proceeded on their journey to Sector 45, Ip'ur Mountain.
That was their goal that couldn't change even though Lisa hoped to find a way out of his Encounter's Part in this Gate. Unfortunately, that was unlikely unless some God would help them out. Expecting an Extreme or some Overlord to help them wasn't feasible.
Murai didn't know why she was so pissed about it, looking pouty as she floated aside. But he accepted her reasons and control. He didn't always rely on a lot of people in such conditions or circumstances, so perhaps he could call it a bizarre development like this life.
Murai felt he had to do it because she relied on him too. Her lifeline was close to his, so all he could do was hope she read into the situation well because he didn't. Information gathering required a lot of things to work through, and after she endured her living as a Blessed—and who knew what else before that—she must know what to do. It should work better for him if she did it, Murai believed.
It was a basis of trust. Itrosh and Bagus held a similar belief to David, who trusted Lisa. It followed a weird business, even if the world turned upside down. That meant they were comfortable with the incoming dangers and undeniable problems that would soon arrive. It wasn't a question of if, but when and how.
Trust was the easiest solution to work around powerful individuals, as it was mental fortitude that worked with pride, reputable power, worth, and words.
Sometimes it could end in doubts or straight-up betrayals, though it depended on the person, situation, and words. The trust had to be equally set between both parties. If some had trust and others didn't, a clash of interest or failure was inevitable. If each had some doubts, there might be some changes, but little doubts shouldn't cause too much turmoil, as long as the parties understand them. It was about communication.
Murai was the worst at it in this life.
Clarity was also good, so Lisa was almost the best solution to everything. For a while, Murai guessed she worked through some ideas long before entering this Gate. She mentioned it fewer times than some praises. It was about some rules and ideas she had about the Encounter that weren't so simple, while her words and mind were hers.
If things got so out of hand, how much? Murai couldn't imagine how worse it could be, yet she was never willing to answer such a possibility. Away from his mind, Lisa considered Helpers right when she discovered that shitty Encounter and some God hunted and wanted Murai gone.
Lia got her Helper's turn because she forced it against those messiahs. Such a Helper was kind of rare because each part of the Encounter should be potent interest around many things, which made the beginning sequence into a meaningless knock. After all, what would happen if those messiahs would get him right there and then? The Encounter would be done and Razmund would've done nothing.
One Side sought out potential Helpers and accepted them with considerable thinking and caution. It had value and worth behind it, so many sought out each Side as well, or tried to be forcefully accepted because of how valuable it was.
Murai trusted how trust worked, how betrayal felt, and how greed and emotions could truly shake up a world, let alone a person or Gods. It was about the psyche and heart that moved the souls and power. He believed Itrosh and Bagus were like Ultium and David, and that pair spoke valuable reasons.
He carried that idea not because of Soul Read, even if it managed to work well with emotions and greatly influenced how he perceived a person or those with emotional intellect. But it had limits. There shouldn't be any crossing interests, values, or other problems at the moment, but the probability of betrayal was always possible because Lisa didn't know when this Gate would truly start.
Why?
Lisa explained to him the rules of this Gate in their meeting before embarking on this journey.
Supposedly—even through problems with Boosts and chaos in this Gate—Challengers in this Gate were a sensitive topic. There was a course of a Hunt in this Gate, with the name: Hunter Game. The goal of a Challenger was to escape this place via a portal, and there would be bounties put forth on them. There were two parties: Hunted and Hunters. Anyone interested in being a Hunter would pursue the Hunted by registering their citizenship token and embarking on an acceptable balance forward.
That was it.
All kinds of foes could stop the Challengers before reaching the portal. Anyone successful in catching their Token, or body will get immense rewards, or if one wanted to be brutal, their Token and body together would fetch double the prize. Without a Token, Challenger couldn't access the portal, so it was essentially Murai's little life.
Giving up or being stuck in this Gate was the aftermath of such a loss. Giving up was the usual idea. Getting back the Token was usually impossible in most scenarios because this place was large and ferocious, following every Challenger with pursuit and greed.
In this case, couldn't Bagus or Itrosh steal his Token? Couldn't David do the same, or Marthosh? By now, Murai understood how everyone eyed his Token since he entered this Gate, and what it supported.
It stunk of possible betrayal, yet it was almost impossible right now because something outside of this Gate crashed this idea apart. Helper status was much better than some questionable Token.
Lastly, Mindarch was yet to voice the start of the Hunt, so no one knew the bounties or HUnted. Thus, the majority of possible Hunters were yet to even gather.
So far, Lisa's team had gone a few dozen kilometers from the end of Helltrim City and encountered some little issues not worth mentioning.
That was the gist of what Lisa mentioned to Murai. They were waiting for Mindarch's interventions, following readings or messages that surrounded them, while they would hurry away from Razmund's possible arrival. Some words about the world being upside down seemed like a higher plausibility as well.
Murai wondered how strange it was to rely on so many people and outsiders. He got there was some value for them, so he wasn't questioning them, but himself. He was never one to be like this. Usually, it was the other way around. Others would try to rely on him, but wasn't this a rather peculiar position where everyone depended on everyone?
It sounded typical from that perspective, or his internal talk—that he contemplated since he hadn't fought in this gate yet—was the reason why he was a little frustrated? Gathering facts was up to Lisa, who urged him to get going with his training and leave this Gate to others.
In that sense, was he disappointed?
Perhaps it shocked him as well. When she said it to him with a stressed face, she almost appeared heroic and helpful. But training was training. It could be done anywhere and his needs and tries could be the same in fights or calm trials. His last Gate was the exact opposite of that. Lisa never did anything in that Gate, while he fought like crazy and worked on a different kind of foundation. It was kind of expected back then, but now...
It was strange. Without her, who knew where he would've been? Floating through the End was the most probable answer, or could have it been worse? Could... the restart happen? Murai didn't like that concept in this world. Perhaps it was even impossible. Some lives were like that even if he ended up dying quickly, and this world shouldn't like or prefer that approach. Murai noticed quite a lot of things that could hinder it straight away.
The main things were gods and major power systems that were outside of the normal scope. This made up this world's structure, so his possibilities might be fixed.
In any way, he barely understood a secret about his Curse, let alone his... cure.
The easiest worst possibility would be kidnapping. Being an experiment rat for those eyeing his Curse wouldn't be the first thing that could happen. Some lofty mortals always loved what didn't make sense or what went Beyond the Sky. Gods were the same, but could they swallow their hefty pride and Kingdoms and touch him right now? In this world, it might be not possible.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Alas, Murai had a target. A focus on forgetting the worst, while this world wasn't so petty or weak. He could afford to think and think twice before acting. Lisa was one supporting pillar, while there were four others around him right now.
With them, things could proceed differently because Lisa once more forced something out of the norm, while the world should balanced itself around her. Like back when they entered this temple.
Itrosh and Bagus both took their acts with limited hesitation, pledging their allegiance to Murai the moment they understood what David and Lisa wanted. Weirdly—and one reason why Lisa was even more doubtful—the Pledge gave them the same message that David and Ultium had obtained, though there were a couple of personal factors involving their power.
But the core mission remained the same.
Then, with a weird look, they saw Murai with his hood on, filled with Anatidae insanity underneath. Both of them feared Murai in some thin layers of emotions, unlike Ulitum who showed interest and murders from time to time. Murai wasn't sure why that devil was like that; he wished to ask about it if he could.
It sounded easier when Bagus fell to his knees, pleading allegiance like a horny dog that met Anatidae. Much to Murai's surprise, he couldn't help cursing that big fella to some far-distance places.
Bagus was the second most powerful member of this party and the oldest. He passed the Law Threshold at Level 70, which depicted a section in 100 Levels that was akin to a massive wall for everything and everyone regardless of race or species.
As for the power, Murai was the weakest, if Lisa didn't count. David was the second weakest, as his power and age were kind of limiting factors to his human growth and overall potential. It wasn't surprising. David lacked the ambition in his own body and talent, but... something changed that. He took the route of power that he learned from Lisa all these years ago, while his unknown Path and time still had some power left. He might have fewer years left, however.
And he had a different route ahead of him or behind him anyway. Relying on others wasn't a wrong approach to seek. Lisa taught it to him because she thought he was weak and relying on others was why many weaklings could establish their own worlds and nations. Lisa wasn't like that at all the time back then. It was close to taking a mentor and master's position and fusing them. The result changed much of David's history after she disappeared from his life.
That was to find footing in alliances and others. Hence, the Lost Brothers company was born. Decades later, his power wasn't far-reaching, but he was still roughly estimated to be around Level 60 in power level, even if his Level was 63.
He always had hindrances in terms of progression when he was young, which Lisa took with some melancholy. A little boy grew and gave up pursuing his dreams. That was kind of sad, but when he saw his ways with people, business, and words, she couldn't help but get some fuzzy feeling in her head.
She would even praise him, but she didn't want him to get to his knees or high in his head.
Thanks to this talk and meeting this party, Murai figured that Level was a power factor that wasn't absolute. David explained that to him in brief confusing mentions that Lisa acknowledged as a necessity that she had overlooked for a long time.
One could lose Levels through age, loss of attributes, some use of abilities, or injuries. It wasn't rare, however, but highly individualistic. It was possible to get everything back when such wounds ceased to exist or other things turned out for the better. It was even said that even an Extreme at the end of their lifespan could weaken below Level 70. Then, if such individuals got some soaring Vitality-rich treasure, their bodies could rejoice and get back to where they belonged. It could be temporary or long-lasting, if plausible. At such higher levels, losses, injuries, or even age were massive hurdles toward the road to the top.
That was why David insisted on being below Level 60, which wasn't anything weak in all regards. He could fight well against most gangs, apart from some bosses, or highly ranked personnel that focused on power, military, or murders. And he didn't have to do that in the slightest.
He had cards that would do it in a heartbeat instead. The biggest surprise came with Ultium. Murai wasn't that surprised; he felt that devil was weird, yet powerful ever since he met him in that room.
Wearing the suit even in the middle of the jungle, this nice-looking devil was a freak at Level 80.
Murai wasn't surprised by that fact. Instead, it was Lisa who took this the harshest. She didn't understand why would he have this sort of servant. Indeed. The term servant wasn't that farfetched or improper to mention in this case. Ultium wasn't even a fervent follower. He was like a loose son that David had been taking care of for many years. That little thread and meeting grew into a freaking devil of Level 80!
Lisa's shock was a normal reaction if she considered the politics, this Gate, and overall ideas of devils and David's brief history that he mentioned in their discussions and her forceful touch. Lisa read a lot between the lines, even with little remarks he expressed with weak words and notes. It went more than well because of her knowledge and furthered context that even David didn't know revealed many discoveries.
From what Lisa understood about Ulitum, his status was a mystery in terms of origin, but he grew up from a relatively young age up until now with David aside. Away from Lurrs, other families, or gangs, it happened on its own under this human's hands. That was peculiar.
Even after she forced herself upon David, he barely budged with further talks about Ultium. It wasn't desperation, pride, or stubbornness; he simply didn't know what to tell her about him.
At last, out of fear or feeling her hands on his face, he mentioned his past. It was reasonably good after she let him go like many other things. He ended up living in this place, hopeful to grow stronger or focus on something else than following her. Where did Ultium end up in that topic? It was connected, of course.
There were some struggles that David endured after getting separated from her because he was a human living in a place where their influence wasn't as prevalent. And without her steps, eyes, and touches behind him, he had to learn and adapt. In the following years, hoping to clutch his Path and become someone independent and great, he was overwhelmed by the appearance of an orphaned devil, whom he took under his care because no one else did.
Then, David accepted his new choice by forfeiting his hopes of being like Lisa. Unyielding, powerful, and quite lofty and prideful, he decided to become a boss who relied on others.
Perhaps it was a Fate, Lisa believed. Devils held special privileges and reputations in most Hells, let alone some training grounds and living spaces like the Hellscape. For a devil to be an orphan, it was near impossible to happen. Their clans and families ran deep thanks to Lurrs, and even if one family wiped the other, children were often spared and diverted to the winning side. For one to be a true orphan, it meant something... weird.
David never understood how it all happened, but it was lost in the far past. A young devil child, thrown like a sack and beaten to a pulp. David grew alongside this devil, who ended up being fairly attached to him because of that.
No one stopped that from happening.
Some moments were hard and others easy, as working and teaching a devil common sense was as hard as understanding their heart. So David opted to teach him how Lisa taught him: by clever wording, some force of reason, weird tactics, and patience. Well, the last thing wasn't as prevalent with her, but David wasn't her.
In the end, it worked surprisingly well. Although Ultium appeared lofty and often serious thanks to his suit, underneath his demeanor and weird heart was a softie like David. Lisa was half certain about it because of the potential Bloodline that must be quite high in him. Why?
Not only was Ultium Level 80, but it was about the leveling stage in 100 Levels that held peculiar problems and meanings. It was right around the Extreme Gates, and Ultium wasn't very old.
It was unknown, though surely above half a century, but not much more. David wasn't sure about the exact number; he met him when he was barely a kid. Devils were generally long-living because of their Bloodlines that carried a lot of secrets, powers, and mysteries. It wasn't worse than what many elven Bloodlines held, if not considerably better.
As far as Lisa got the facts straight, Ultium was a ridiculous talent to grow to this extent without a proper devil clan or family above his head. She wondered what David did, or who Ultium really was.
Even when David explained to her that he had been with him for decades under the Lost Brothers and his hands, growth of this caliber was incredible. David couldn't explain it well. Accordingly, Ulitum knew and relied on David all his life. Because of that, she questioned David's way of living and what he wasn't telling her.
Murai would reckon how fitting it was, relative to her head that often didn't mention everything either.
David would tell the same thing, but truth be told, he was hardly keeping things from her. Some things, he kept for himself, because he had some promises between him and Ultium. They shouldn't be spoken unless necessary.
Age and Level in devils spoke of powerful Bloodlines, potential transformations, and overall power level. There was a wide spectrum of what Lisa knew about devils, let alone others. Thus, she didn't question that part all that much. As long as he was on her side, listening to her commands—or David—it sounded fine.
For all that she knew, he may be some hidden child of some powerful devil that was killed by Levandis and tossed to her temple. That would explain his orphaned origin and lack of any devil clan to take him into their ranks. They wouldn't dare to take him if it was a sensitive topic to Levandis, or deeply, Ultium was a fiend, so devil clans and families who knew who or what he was never took him under their wings.
Devils weren't that family-orientated race. Power was more up to their lives, second to the pacts of Bloodlines that didn't necessarily need family or such bonds. When blood turned and flew, the word family was different for them. Then, there were their instincts and hearts.
Blood was in everything, so it made sense to be rather important.
According to her careful calculations and the surroundings of her End, in the following context about devils, David ended up surprisingly well. She gave up thinking about Ultium any further. It wasn't a wild problem. She was just surprised and curious for David's sake and her memories. That was about it.
As for the rest of the Helpers, she took them for normal beings. Murai was the same, though he was glad there were three monstrosities of much higher power than he could've imagined. Bagus and Ultium even held a Level above Razmund! What it meant was security that Lisa considered fitting, but also dangerous. It meant more higher-level Hunters would come towards them, though wasn't Razmund like that even without them in mind?
Lisa used to be confused because of them. Not anymore.
She decided to forget what balance and rules meant and why some things happened or why. She simply gave up by elevating this mess into a high-level team. Whether it meant or didn't mean some trouble in balance, it shouldn't matter from the very beginning.
As for what Murai's new Helpers thought of him, that was another interesting topic that Lisa took behind her head.
Itrosh in particular seemed quite interested in Murai at all times, teasing him and talking to him all the time even if no answers came back. She always kept pestering him about his hoodie, where it came from, what powers he had, and how comfortable he was. That started right from the Helltrim City, in their first meeting.
She was hoping to befriend him for some reason or another, or was that because of her honest and straightforward personality that showed interest in Anatidaes?
Murai knew it was the case of his weird species, which Itrosh somewhat fearfully respected. That, and he was a Child of his species, so she was finding him amusing and historically important.
She wasn't alone.
Bagus was the same, if not more fervent about meeting an Anatidae. He attempted to do the same thing as her a few times, but a couple of declines from Murai forced him to his knees and stop being a bother. That was good, meaning that Bagus was well into loyalty and took observations well into his big head. He wasn't one bit forceful, unlike Itrosh.
For a beast like him, one wouldn't guess how Bagus's personality and words acted, but he was a fine Grifhart above Level 70 and was no slave either. Many Griffins and their sub-species could speak and talk like humans, and since David lived around this Hell rather than in the wild, or Radagan, he was good at it.
On the other hand, Itrosh was a bothersome opposition that never left Murai's side, while David and Ultium kept walking side by side, taking the Anatidae for something else than others.
It was their ticket from this Hell.
“Come on, sir Murai! I want you to ride me as well!” Itrosh insisted on this for the tenth time, hoping to force Murai to her shoulder like a child. Her voice was crisp, carrying power and a certain loudness.
It was kind of annoying, which wasn't something Murai disliked if it hadn't happened all the time. It was the same with her demands. She dreamed of letting an Anatidae ride her shoulders. It was akin to a stroke of good fortune according to the history of her base race called Windfleys. Though, now, she was far from her race, as she meddled with Influance Items and her evolutions, turning her into a little abomination.
“Stop pestering him,” Lisa argued, knowing that there were more pressing issues right now. “You would regret it. He would snap at your face and nose, or... that loudness and weight would crush you. Trust me. You wouldn't like his voice.”
“Heard his quacks enough. They wouldn't stress me!” Itrosh said with confidence and smiled at Murai who, thanks to a rare position for the past hours, was happily sitting on top of Bagus.
Glaring at Itrosh wearing a military kind of uniform made of many sets of layers of scales and leather, she looked impressive. Around her sides and back were all kinds of weapons, ranging from daggers produced in sets, blades, and various other exotic weapons. There were dozens of them in total, which made her look as if she went to a war without knowing what she wanted. He couldn't guess her Path. She almost looked like a ninja, considering she had a scarf around her neck that could shroud her face when needed.
Then, there was the issue of talking.
Apart from his forceful push of his Will to them—which wasn't something Murai planned to rely on—he never spoken to anyone. Lisa always translated his thoughts to them, which made their power dynamic weird.
But for Bagus and Itrosh, it was normal. They never expected to communicate with Murai anyway, but they understood he was a Blessed with a good mind, so they could talk to him.
Using Will to do meaningless things wasn't good, so Murai remained silent in his travels and kept on training and thinking about what he could do and use. Again, he wasn't relying on Lisa for that purpose, so when others spoke to him, she acted as his speaker of her own will.
Her voice, reign, and power over the situation increased her motivations and ego. She spoke with powerful arguments even to those more powerful than her. She even eyed Ultium the same way as David.
She wondered how well Itrosh or Bagus would fare against Razmund. David said it was a tough topic, considering information about Razmund that would come from Gate 2 would change the circumstances, while they still had Ultium at Level 80, so why was she worried? In truth, David even suggested dealing with Razmund in Helltrim City, but Lisa readily refused it, saying that one shouldn't think of this Encounter as something normal.
That was strange. David thought she would prefer crashing that Blessed first and asking questions later. It didn't happen, since she had different priorities called Murai. And if the rumors about Razmund cutting Low Marshal Luno were correct, then things could be a bit difficult even with Ultium.
Still, with four of them, Lisa hoped it wouldn't end up worse if worse would happen. They should be close to him in power, she believed. Ultium might crash that haughty human who crushed her hope behind her back.
Overall, Lisa took this Gate to another level in her head, hidden behind Murai's ideas. It was her revenge too.
Murai appreciated her ways with words for sure.
“And you keep walking in his stead. Oh, talking. Sorry,” Itrosh urged, closing her wide mouth filled with sharp teeth, hissing words against Lisa who warned her numerous times that taking Murai's Will wasn't ideal. It could tire them both and Murai had work to do anyway.
Itrosh licked her lips, eyeing Murai on top of Bagus. “I mean, my Will is more than enough to work with him, if what you said and mentioned is fine. Is what you've told right, at least.”
Lisa forced a laugh, floating to face this confident adventurer with unknown experience. She wasn't that interested in her or Bagus. They were her tools.
“Wanna fight it,” Lisa suggested, “or, are you insulting him right now? You would take his Will? Alright. GO on. Did I hear that right? Are you underestimating his Will now? What a change from the norm.” Lisa sighed, mocking this clueless fool.
Smiling at her as she floated closely, Itrosh took her taunts with a similar smile. She didn't mind such banter, but when she glanced at this... ghost, she wasn't sure what to think. She heard stories about Fairies, but... Lisa wasn't that, she assumed. It wasn't a certainty; she just wasn't sure how to take her floating and pretty body to her face.
But many could easily take her for a Fairy. Some idiots would even cherish her, kneeling and calling her their Goddess.
Hearing her, Itrosh couldn't find the right argument. Murai never allowed anyone to touch his Will, thus, conversing with him was out of the question. Everything went through Lisa, who was the party leader anyway. David allowed it unless the situation changed.
Murai was the sole reason for their tremendous opportunity ahead. All they had to do was follow or force Murai out of the Seventh Death Forest, which meant a lot of choices and possibilities.
All of which clashed against the problems of this temple. Lisa took it for help anyway, and David realized that getting out was a sticky situation. Lisa told him about Centralis Kingdom's potential ploys, including the Hunt for Murai in the Seventh Death Forest and potential problems in Death Valley. Then, that Hell Party's rumors in Paradise were another thing. Unfortunately, David was unable to dig deeper than in rumors.
David said it was more than warranted to be cautious, since Centralis Kingdom was clever and experienced, and could easily crush them.
Thus, a plan had to be made in a very unconventional way.
According to their Helper's Task and context Lisa revealed, nothing sounded simple at all. David suggested some ideas, mentioning portals leading far away. Getting someone personal with Chaos Space—to let them away far from this forest—sounded good as well.
Lisa hoped for their validity, so when he suggested it, she got crushed when Mindarch spoke to them, reminding them of the general rules that Challengers had to utilize and that escaping him and the Encounter wasn't so simple. It was a clever reminder that Mindarch did for one thing above. Levandis didn't bend down, knowing that Gods were watching, and if something unruly would happen, she would face repercussions of Judges.
In truth, it wasn't the issue of the Encounter, but this temple. They could escape the Seventh Death Forest via Chaos Space or portals if they were outside. Unfortunately, Challengers were prohibited from mending with any public portals or Chaos Space, creating problems in this place's Chaos structure and rules. They had only two things to do: give up officially, or go on until they would give up. That was the chain of rules they had to use.
Lisa planned to ignore that, but in a way that Levandis—or some Gods—wouldn't get or stop it.
It all started and ended in the Helltrim City.
Now, all they had to do was to get to the next Gate in one piece and not crash against that Hell Party.