Ravyn’s assurances that the zombies were dead for good were encouraging, but there was just no way for me to walk over a corpse with such casual disregard. Not when they were up and about not even hours ago. Just the very thought of one snapping awake to munch on my ankle prompted me to crawl and creep behind each body whenever possible. My actions drew pitiful looks from Ravyn, and I didn’t care. Didn’t help that the echoing drops of water pooling into the center of the room were putting me on edge.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, hurry up!” Ravyn stomped the heel of her boot, her arms held straight down at her sides.

“Don’t push him,” said a quiet Cannoli.

I frowned and gave Ravyn the middle finger. Sure, there was a strong chance she didn’t know what it meant, but I didn’t care.

A twitch pulled at the corner of Ravyn’s mouth. Eventually, it turned into a toothy smile, and she reciprocated with a middle finger of her own. I returned the smile and watched as Tristan shuffled on the spot, scratching his cheek.

Ah, right. My kin.

To no one’s surprise, the other girls traded confused looks. What fun it was to have at least one catgirl who had some semblance of understanding about Earth.

I continued my venture across the bodies of dead catgirls, taking a chance to glance at the pool of water every so often. There were some interesting-looking crystals growing from the bottom of the pool. They glowed with a blue-green luminescence, giving the basin an aura of magic and mysticism.

“Unremarkable rocks,” Ara said. “‘Fool’s Myana.’ Fetches a high Bell to the ignorant.”

I raised a brow. “‘Fool’s Myana?’” I asked. The term would’ve made me laugh before. What the hell was happening to me?

“Stones of similar appearance can regenerate Myana,” Ravyn supplied next. “Incredibly rare stones, though. Nyarlothep hoards them for the most part. They use them as a tribute to the academies and religious congregations.”

The thought of snatching up a few of the taunting rocks to trick some unsuspecting fools came to mind. A few more Bells could only help us in the long run.

Nyarlothep is already a nasty enough place to live in.

The thought left as soon as it arrived.

Our journey, at last, led us to a hallway where the honey glow of light hit the turn of the corner. I breathed a sigh of relief and let my shoulders slump.

“Sweet Saoirse, is that the exit I see?” Keke’s tone gave me the impression that she was doing everything she could to not jump for joy.

Cannoli shouldered her way through the group to stand beside me. “We’re finally getting out,” she mumbled.

We’re almost there. Just hang in there. It only gets better from here. Right?

“Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer,” warned Ara. “Let’s wait until we’re out of here before we celebrate. We cannot afford complacency.”

Tristan beamed. “So reliable. Thank you for the kind reminder, Ara.”

Ara’s gaze veered somewhat, a pink hue decorating her features. “Ahem. You are too kind, Young Master. Shall we carry on?”

“Yeah, let’s.” I flashed a smile and poked my head around the corner.

Our escape was a clear shot from where we were. The sun had set during our adventure, and the sky was littered with orange and purple clouds. A gentle rain cleansed the ground, but as far as I could tell, there wasn’t any danger to be had.

“Looks good. But let’s be careful.” I was not about to be fooled again.

Cannoli fell behind Ara, walking in tandem with Keke and the others while Ara and I led as the vanguard. My heart was practically living inside my throat as she and I approached the exit with steeled resolve. I glanced at her, and, to be frank, her unwavering courage put me to shame. Her eyes were lit with determination, and not her gaze falter. I had to admire it, not sure where her nerves of steel came from.

She’s a keeper.

As we neared the exit, the spray of water pattered against my skin. Puddles had collected at the foot of the cavern’s entrance. A swathe of relief swept over me, and just as I was ready to leap to safety, I realized something somewhat important. There were, maybe, about three steps between me and the face of a cliff.

I gasped and reeled back, the axe falling from my hand and clanging onto the ground. My ears rang with the sound. “Holy shit!” If I had taken another step, I would’ve fallen to my death. “That was close.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Keke.

Ara moved to stand in front of me with a raised brow. I couldn’t help but feel like she was judging me. With a slow, vigilant pace, she came to the entrance, paused, then backstepped with a speed I’d never seen before, nearly running into me, then Cannoli on the way back.

“I r-regret to say that we may need to turn back,” said Ara.

“Hah?” Ravyn said with an incredulous tone in her voice. “Don’t be fucking stupid, the exit is right there, come on, chop-chop, let’s go!”

“Hurry up, you cowards! Squawwwwk!”

“It cannot be done,” Ara said flatly. “I am most sorry for the inconvenience, but considering the circumstances, fleeing the cave back through the way we came from should be feasible as the [Necromancer] is now dead. With that in mind, it is my suggestion that we abandon the current course and set a new one.”

You’re getting overly wordy.

Ara brushed by the back of the party, and just as she was passing Ravyn, our [Sorcerer] caught her by the arm. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“Like I said, we must abandon—”

“Yeah, I heard you. I don’t agree with it. What the fuck is over there?”

Ravyn and Ara continued to argue. After a while, Keke rubbed at her face, bags hanging under her eyes, a look of exhaustion plastered over her features. Without a word, she squirmed between the others to make it through, scruffing up my hair on the way with a tired smile. She took a peek next, then turned around, shaking her head. She looked even more exhausted than before.

“Hey, Matt, are you afraid of heights?” Keke’s tone was low. Too low for anyone else but us to hear. Guess she had to conserve energy wherever she could.

I shook my head. “Nah, just surprised me is all. Not a lot of space to shimmy our way to the top either.”

“I think there’s enough room,” Keke said with indifference. “Hey, Ara! Are you afraid of heights?”

I turned around to see the cuffs of Ara’s uniform grasped in Ravyn’s hands. Keke’s sudden question sent a wave of silence over the crowd. Several seconds passed. It was a simple question, though the longer Ara took to reply, the more evident her answer became.

“Nonsense,” said Ara. Maybe I was reading into it too much, but I was sure she stuttered.

Ravyn snorted. “Afraid of heights, eh? So our fearless maid has a weakness after all?”

The shimmering glint of a dagger’s point found itself below Ravyn’s chin. Ara turned her head toward Ravyn. “Not another word.”

Ravyn was undaunted. “Try it, bitch.”

“Oh, is that all?” Tristan’s tone was chipper, and a soft laugh escaped his lips. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of. I had lots of friends who were scared of heights when I was a kid.”

I give Tristan a gold star.

“I am not afraid of heights,” Ara insisted. “I merely proposed we… we turn back so as to avoid slipping away from the cliffside.”

Getting on all fours, I crawled forward and held my palm out. “Rain seems to be stopping. Yeah, actually, the clouds seem to be disappearing too.” A golden ray of light came to my defense, illuminating my palm with a gentle warmth. Why, thank you, Saoirse.

I stayed like that for a time, the petrichor calming my nerves. After a while, I noticed Keke was looking down at me, staring at me in a way I hadn’t seen before. Gotta admit, the viewing angle was pretty choice.

Then Keke whispered, “That’s a good look on you. I think I want to see that again later.”

I didn’t know what she meant at first. When it hit me, I snapped back into a seated position, my hands in my lap. Keke giggled.

Ara cleared her throat. “The cliffside will be sl-slippery for some time. I do not want someone’s death on my hands when we could have prevented it.”

Keke brought her attention back to the rest of the group. “Then we wait,” she said with a shrug.

I turned my whole body around to join in on the conversation. Again with the silence.

“That is not a risk we can take,” said Ara.

“Keh. Kitty got her tail between her legs?” Ravyn’s face was nearing closer and closer to Ara’s, a smug smile plastered across her mouth.

“I understand, Ara,” Cannoli chimed in. “I’m afraid of loud noises and hangnails.” Cannoli put a finger to her chin in thought. Glad to see she was starting to come back around. “Maybe you wouldn’t be so afraid of heights if you’d lived on Ni Island? In fact, Ravyn lives on the face of a cliff.”

Ravyn’s smile grew wider, if you can believe it.

“I’ll hold your hand,” Tristan offered. “In the cities, we’d have these huge buildings,” he emphasized his words with a wave of his arms, “packed full with hundreds of people. Actual hundreds! We call them skyscrapers! You can see the whole city from the top of some of them!”

Ara turned to Tristan, pale as a ghost. “Your people were insane!”

Afraid of heights. Would’ve never thought.

Desiree nuzzled against Tristan’s leg. He patted at his thighs and held out his hands. The cat leapt up and nestled into his arms. “Look, Desiree will give you some company too!”

Ara went from pale in the face to beet-red. “I am so ashamed. Pray, forgive me, Young Master.” Ara bowed at the neck.

But Tristan just kept on smiling. He held out his hand expectantly. “Come on. We’ll go together.”