Slimantha walked along one of Bleakfyre’s red brick roads. Her black shoes lightly tapped the red of the bricks at her feet. Her long brown hair gently swayed with her steps. Samuel, Mimi, and Black walked along with her. Sunlight cascaded down upon the group of three women and one hero.

A crow cawed from atop one of the red brick lampposts lining the red brick road. Slimantha glanced at the crow. For a brief moment, her beautiful brown eyes met its beady black eyes, and then she looked away. She walked by the crow on the lamppost.

Her steps continued. She blinked. Her beautiful brown eyes then fell upon another crow on another lamppost. This other crow gave her a glare. It did not look like it would do much but glare at her though. She kept walking. Her steps continued. She approached the glaring crow and then walked by it. The crow kept glaring—not just at her but at the rest of her group too. It ruffled its black feathers and cawed.

She glanced up, her beautiful brown eyes drawn up by the sound of flapping. Crows—many crows—flew overhead. Her steps fell silent for a brief moment, but then she resumed walking. Her eyes turned away from the overhead crows—from the overhead murder. The airborne murder did not look to be paying her group much heed. Her steps continued. The soles of her black shoes tapped against the red bricks of the road.

“So many crows,” Mimi said, glancing up at the airborne murder. A drop of sweat rolled down her right cheek. The sweatdrop glistened against her golden skin. “So many crows, but not a Latril among them. Just where is that woman.” Her golden eyes moved down from the overhead murder. She sighed.

Slimantha glanced to her left—glanced down an alley—and her footfalls fell silent. She had stopped. Her beautiful brown eyes were fixed down that alley. The mouth of the alley sat between two buildings—a beige building at the left and a maroon building at the right—and within the alley was …

“You found something?” Mimi said, coming to a stop beside Slimantha. Mimi glanced down the alley and quickly sweatdropped. Her golden eyes had fallen across a ridiculous number of crows gathered within that alley. Samuel and Black stepped up beside her and Slimantha and joined in on the sweatdropping.

Slimantha smiled and raised her right arm. She pointed into the crow-filled alley. “Maybe Latril is that way,” she said.

Mimi sweatdropped all over again. The new bead of sweat glistened against the golden skin of her right cheek. “How about”—she glanced at Slimantha—“we don’t wade into a murder of crows?” She crossed her arms. “I’d really rather not drown in a sea of crows.”

Slimantha blinked. She glanced at Mimi, and then her beautiful brown eyes went back to the murder in the alley. Now she crossed her arms. “I don’t really see the problem here,” she said. Her eyes went back to Mimi, and she smiled. “They are just crows. I’m sure it will be fine.” She lowered her arms.

Samuel’s blue eyes went to Slimantha’s face. “I am going to have to side with Mimi on this one,” he said. Then he gestured at the murder in the alley. “That is way too many crows. I say we run.” He then glanced at Mimi, who gave him a smile and a nod of approval. His eyes went back to Slimantha.

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“Well”—Slimantha’s beautiful brown eyes went back to the murder in the alley—“I suppose it is a lot of crows.” She brought her right hand up to her chin and closed her eyes. The crows hopped closer to her. “Well, I suppose we could run.” She opened her eyes, and the crows started cackling. “Wait.” She lowered her right hand. “Are they laughing at us? Do they think us running is funny?” She puffed her cheeks out. “Hold on a sec. I have a murder to punch.”

“Hold it!” Black said, stepping in front of the about-to-get-punchy slime summoner. “I have a better idea.” She thrust both her palms forward. A wall of black flames erupted in front of her, barring the alley. The tongues of black licked at the walls of both the beige and maroon buildings. Dark scorch marks spread. The crows leapt back, a few startled squawks sounding.

Slimantha pouted and planted her hands on her shapely hips. She leaned forward, glaring at the black flames. Then she looked at Black. “Not cool, Black,” she said. “I was all hyped up to do some punching.”

“Well, I’m all hyped up not to get swallowed by a sea of crows,” Mimi deadpanned, giving the wannabe-puncher a thousand-yard stare. Then she turned her attention back to the murder in the alley. The crows watched her and waited. The black inferno still barred the alley’s entrance, but the black inferno would not last. “We are running.” She turned to Slimantha. Her lovely golden eyes met Slimantha’s beautiful brown eyes. “That includes you, Ms. Punch a Lot.”

“Fine,” Slimantha said and then sighed. “I’ll run.” Her beautiful brown eyes went back to the murder behind the starting-to-dwindle black flames. “Don’t blame me if they start laughing at us again though.” Her eyes went back to Mimi, and she smiled.

Mimi pouted. “Less talking and more running,” she said. She grabbed Slimantha’s left hand with her right hand and forcefully pulled the tan-skinned woman into a run.

“Why are you pulling me?!” Slimantha pouted. “I can run on my own.”

Mimi glanced back at the complaining Slimantha. “Sure you can, but you were taking too long.” She let go of Slimantha’s hand, and the other woman kept up with her. “Those flames Black summoned are not going to last much longer.”

“Right. Right.” Slimantha gave a nervous laugh. “Guess I was kind of delaying there.” She smiled. The long locks of her brown hair swayed with her footfalls.

Samuel and Black ran behind Slimantha and Mimi, Samuel at the left and Black at the right. Black glanced at Samuel and then followed his eyes to the two curvy women running in front of her and him. Her eyes went back to Samuel, and she smiled mischievously. Her black feline tail swished. “Like what you see?” she said, addressing Samuel. Her tail swished again.

Samuel glanced at Black. “What do you mean?” he said. His gaze drifted back to the two attractive women running in front of him, and then he realized just where he had been looking. His face turned beet red. “This isn’t what it looks like!”

Slimantha blinked and then looked back at Samuel. “What isn’t what it looks like?” she said, her question somehow making him even redder.

A snicker exploded out from between Black’s lips. “Don’t worry about it,” Black said. “I was just messing with our esteemed hero a bit.” Her tail gave another swish. Her lovely brown eyes returned to Samuel. “So how would you like to look at me like that?” She snickered again. Her tail gave yet another swish. Behind them, her black flames finally gave out, and the murder of crows gave chase.