Drea shot up at the loud rumble that had been emitted from underground, senses standing at alert. Her fellow mercenaries were still trying to rouse themselves as she got on Caraid and rode out. Her majestic steed galloped at almost three times the speed of a regular horse with its size and stamina.

Once she rounded the side of the mountain, she squinted at the campfire the group of adventurers had made further off. Her vision was impeccable, and not a soul could be seen. They could be hiding where she couldn't see them, but it was far more likely...

"They found it," she said, bitterly acknowledging Hyfe had been correct. She kept riding, trusting her band would follow after her soon enough.

...

"Stop the bleeding, stop the bleeding, stop the bleeding!"

"I'm trying!"

Synthia and Iggy, once wordlessly following Christoph's lead, were now placed in a position where they had to take care of him. He had fallen unconscious; a mercy given his wounds. Iggy was trying to heal him using her magic, but she'd made little headway. Medicinal spells weren't her forte.

Biting her nail, Synthia paced back and forth, wondering when the lamp's battery would finally die. Her gaze kept flitting back to the dais. The Mioja was still bending light around it, almost as if it were trying to suck in everything around it. Almost sucked in Christoph.

They were trapped. Cursing herself for not acting faster, Synthia tried to think of a way to escape. She'd worked up a good amount of exercise already with her fast pacing, and the room's violent mural was doing nothing to soothe her anxiety. If they were trapped because they hadn't managed to obtain the Mioja successfully, then perhaps that meant...

"But it's not possible," Synthia muttered.

Iggy was also working up a sweat, entirely concentrated on patching Christoph up best she could. With a final grunt, she sat back, wiping at her brow.

"That's the best I can do," she said. "Any more and I'll pass out."

She looked like she wanted to cry. "Why? Why did you force me to come down here? This is your fault!"

Wincing, Synthia meekly apologized. "I didn't know it would be this bad."

Huffing, Iggy shook her head. "No, no I'm sorry. That wasn't fair. Besides, if I wasn't here, he'd be dead."

Christoph breathing was laboured, and this was while he was resting. If he woke up, Synthia was worried he'd die just from the shock.

"He won't make it if we don't get him to a doctor," Iggy said. "I think he has some potions stowed on his zeitcycle, but it's not gonna do him any good. So many bones have to broken, some even shattered. Any more damage and it might've been too much for me. You acted fast, and I think that saved his life."

Synthia stood arms akimbo. "It doesn't matter if it's not for too long. We're stuck in here without any food or water."

Iggy hugged her knees. "It can't end this way... right? Our journey just started." She lowered her head. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"Only shot we have of leaving is manipulating that thing somehow." Synthia jerked her head toward the Mioja. "If Christoph couldn't wield it, I doubt we have a chance of using it properly. So we need to find a way out. Together."

Iggy looked up at her, bitter smile on her face. "Never thought I'd have to put my life in your hands."

Synthia flashed a grin, despite how beleaguered she felt. "Life's full of the unexpected."

She offered Iggy her hand. She reached up to take it. But before she could—

"Now what's this?"

A familiar voice echoed in from outside the door. Synthia stood ramrod straight as Iggy got up on shaky legs unaided.

"Her," she whispered.

"Drea, you sure we shouldn't have destroyed their vehicles? Just in case."

"Hmph, there's no need Yurvin. Once we find out how to open this door, we can crush them if they're in there. Easily."

The trapped adventurers were scrambling around the place for aid of any sort. Christoph remained lying down, panting.

"What do we do," Iggy hissed.

Synthia's eyes kept going back to the sword. It was drawing in her eyes just as it seemed to be sucking in light. "The book said that... you needed to be noble. Strong. Penitent. That you couldn't place yourself above the natural order of the world."

Christoph's bleeding had stopped to a trickle, but his brutalized body still made Synthia wince. What had he really been thinking then, if the Mioja hadn't deemed him worthy?

"Penitent," Synthia whispered again.

"State your... most evil desire?" Drea was now puzzling over the door's inscription.

Iggy shook Synthia's hand. "We need to hide! Try to take them by surprise and then escape."

Synthia gave her no response. She kept looking from Christoph back to the Mioja. She scowled, cursing under her breath.

"Synthia, this isn't the time to screw around here!"

"I've got a plan," Synthia said. "But we need to be careful."

A few minutes later, Drea had discerned what the door was asking of her.

"Oh, is that it? Then I'd say... to save the world, of course."

DUUUUUUUUURM!

The stone door ground open. Drea and her retinue, minus Hyfe, stepped through it. Eyes narrowing onto the dais, she saw Synthia standing behind the Mioja.

"I'm giving you this one chance, Atlas," she declared. Her face betrayed no emotion for once. "Leave. Or I will force you to."

Erik twirled a knife. "She thinks she's in charge, eh?"

"Why don't we enlighten her?" Latanie had her sword at the ready.

Drea scoffed. "You've got guts, I'll give you that."

Synthia smirked. "And you're very stupid, I'll give you that."

WHOOOOSH!

A furious gale tore into the intruding group. The others were knocked back, but Drea managed to hold herself steady. To the side, Iggy stood panting while hugging Christoph to her shoulder, other hand outstretched to perform her magic.

Synthia used the distraction to throw one of her sulphur bombs at Drea. As the noxious yellow fumes erupted in front of her, Synthia swiftly pulled out the (surprisingly light) Mioja with her left hand and hopped off the dais. She raced over to Drea, pulling her nose into the crook of her elbow and swinging downward into the sulphur cloud.

VOOM!

Drea's greatsword had instinctively been drawn out to meet hers, the three-inch wide steel pushing against the spectral Mioja. When the weapons met, they didn't create a sound so much as they did a vibration. The cloud dispersed due to their clash, revealing an immensely irritated Drea, blue eyes burning. She was holding the massive blade with only her right hand.

"I'm the stupid one? You'll need more than cheap tricks to throw me off."

Synthia wound up her arm, flipping the Mioja around in a reverse grip and trying for upward swing this time. Every time she'd attack, it was met with a counter from Drea. She almost seem bored.

"You're fast."

VOOM!

"But desperate."

VOOOOM!

"Inexperienced."

Synthia had prepared to attack again, but Drea's gloved hand lunged for her throat, ensnaring it in her large fingers. Choking, Synthia found herself lifted up, feet kicking in the air and clutching the Mioja tight on instinct. She beat her fist against the mercenary's grip to no avail.

Drea looked her in the eyes, taking in their gold colour. Her face contorted in disgust. "With the rare gift of demon eyes too. What a waste for someone so weak. And that's why you'll die."

Synthia felt those merciless fingers begin to squeeze down on her throat. The air was pushed out of her, muscles and bones being pressed together closer than they ever should be. With just a little more pressure, she could envision her head popping off—

FWOOOOOSH!

Another gust of Wind staggered Drea, causing her to loosen her grasp on Synthia's throat. Looking behind her, she saw Iggy making her way to the main cavern. She kept dragging Christoph along, small drops of his blood making a trail along the ground.

Aggravated, Drea exhaled through her teeth and chucked Synthia at the pair almost without effort. They all collapsed to the ground together as their bodies collided, crying in pain.

"Boss, you good?" Yurvin had recovered, Erik and Latanie still somewhat dazed.

Drea nodded without looking at them, focused on the enemies before her. She drew her greatsword to her side, walking slowly.

Coughing and teary-eyed, Synthia pushed herself up, watching Drea approach slowly. Iggy got up beside her and tried to pick up Christoph again.

"We can't win, let's go!"

Synthia scrambled to her feet, Drea drawing ever closer. She looked at the Mioja's inner sanctum behind their opponent, realizing she had been thrown out of it. Gasping, she brought the hand clutching the weapon up to eye-level and looked at it wearily. There was no reaction. It had injured Christoph once he had moved past the threshold but not her, contrary to her expectations. Did that mean...?

Drea, sensing a change in her opponent, drew her greatsword up with both hands, cunning blue eyes narrowing to slits.

"Synthia?" Iggy kept looking at the exit, readjusting Christoph so he wouldn't fall down.

The Mioja were said to be wellsprings of elemental power, as Synthia recalled the book and Christoph describing. If it was so special, then perhaps using it like a regular sword was the wrong idea.

As if instructed to do so, Synthia opened her mind to the blade and let its power flow through her. The rush of mana set her nerves on fire, making her clench her teeth. It was almost enough to make her pass out. But with a deep breath, she pulled the sword back and then swung it down as hard as she could. From the cutting edge, a wave of Darkness assailed Drea, who placed her sword in front of her to split off the attack. The separated magic crashed into the walls on either side of her with another VOOOOOM.

"Let's go!" Synthia pulled on Iggy's hand and they stumbled to the exit. Drea snarled as she bounded after them, heavy footfalls slamming against the stone floor and covering twice the ground they were making.

"Drea, we can't let them leave!" Yurvin had sprung forth faster than the others. Running alongside her, he readied his fire magic as they burst out of the exit, balls of flame in the hands of his palm. Drea's eyes filled with panic.

"No you fool, think of where we are!"

"HRAAAAGH!" Running on pure adrenaline and not a lick of sense, Yurvin hurled his spell at Synthia. With the fire about to hit them, Synthia had no recourse but to deflect it. Once she did, the spell refracted and shot off in a dozen different directions. A few hit separate collections of firecrystals, rocking the cavern with explosions.

Yurvin stumbled, realizing his mistake far too late. Drea shielded her eyes as the dark cavern lit up with flashes of orange light, the sound deafening her and the heat billowing throughout. A crash sounded behind her. Whipping around, she saw large chunks of debris fall in front of the entrance.

"Erik! Latanie!" She stood like that for a moment, hoping there was some way to get her friends out of their tomb, yet deep down she knew there was nothing she could do. The cave was falling apart. She decided to shoulder on, dedicated to having the three escaping adventurers face her wrath. Yurvin was in a state of shock, mouth gaping and holding his pointed ears flat against his head at the cacophony raging around them.

"Drea, I'm sorry—"

"Save it," she spat, not waiting for Yurvin to catch up. Another explosion rang out, the force making her stumble. Looking back, she saw her remaining companion's body flop to the side like a rag doll, bleeding and singed. It took her a few seconds to register.

This wasn't supposed to happen. This should never have been possible. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be in and out, grab the Mioja and leave without fuss. A simple mission, a simple job for themselves, extra insurance against a world that always took advantage of them. Her friends were dead, and the reason...

Was the scrawny little rodent who thought she could scurry away without punishment.

Sheathing her sword along her back, Drea eyed her quarry as it scampered up the platform, the injured man with her dragging his feet along. Remaining vigilant for falling debris, she went after them.

Synthia and Iggy were hobbling along to the ladder, shifting Christoph a bit every few steps to keep ahold of him. He was groaning, his eyes opening at last.

"Don't expend too much energy," Synthia shouted. "We need to get out of here!"

"Synthia, what did you do," Christoph muttered. Iggy grimaced.

"Seriously? Come on, man," she muttered, voice drown out by the exploding cavern. They stumbled as a forceful blast rung out, finally reaching the ladder and clinging to it for support. The girls looked to the top of it thirty feet above their heads.

"I'm not strong enough to carry him," Iggy yelled. Synthia turned around, her heart constricting in her chest. Drea stood at the end, her hulking frame highlighted by the bright flashes of red light erupting behind her. She began striding forward, face wrathful and livid.

Synthia slid the sword onto her back on instinct. Miraculously, it stayed there, needing no sheath to keep it in place. It seemed to magnetically attach itself, and she didn't question this bout of good luck. "I think I can manage it. Give him here."

Taking the semi-conscious Christoph, Synthia let Iggy go up first. With a deep breath, Synthia threw Christoph over her shoulder, bending at the weight. With all the effort she could muster, she began pulling herself up the bars with both hands, pumping her limbs to get as far away from Drea as quickly as possible.

Once Iggy reached the top, she quickly scurried off the ladder and onto her knees, looking down at Synthia still climbing. Drea had reached the base of it, and she began climbing too.

Thirty feet. Normally such a small distance seemed to stretch out for a mile. Synthia was breathing heavily, straining as Christoph's own weight pulled her down to the mercenary closing in on her.

Fleetingly, Iggy thought of abandoning the two, saving her own life. The entrance wasn't far now, surely she could make it, surely she could get to the safety of the car, surely she could live!

But no. She would never be able to forgive herself. Furthermore it would prove she was the coward Drea had insinuated she was. She immediately dismissed the notion, furious at herself for even briefly considering it. She resolved herself to help however she could, reaching out a hand as explosions kept firing off and sucking in a deep breath.

"You weren't a little asshole for all those years just so you could die in some hole in the ground, right!? So fight, and keep fighting, no matter what!"

Synthia could sense Drea coming up from below, fixated on her soles with single-minded hatred. She kept pulling herself up the ladder, grunting with exertion, the fear of her neck being snapped pushing her forward.

"It'd be pretty lame to die not even two hours after leaving home."

Christoph's words from the day before echoed in her head through all the noise. He'd saved her a few times from her own foolishness already. Now it was time to return the favour, saving them all from his mistake.

I just need to go up a few more feet! That's all I need! Just a bit more!

She could feel Drea's fingers scrape against her boot. A few more seconds and she'd grab her by the ankle like a toy.

Desperate and breathing heavily, Synthia let instinct take over her body. She felt the Mioja pulse against her back, the blood pumping hard through her veins as she carried Christoph. It heightened her senses, made her head throb and constricted her breathing. Yet at the same time, it felt like she'd never been more alive as the mana flowed into her.

Almost as if pulled by strings, Synthia flew up the remaining distance and grabbed Iggy's hand. The Mioja stopped pouring mana into her, and her breathing became more measured as she struggled to hold onto Christoph. The muscles in Iggy's neck were straining as she pulled them up over the edge. They both panted, bodies screaming in protest.

Their respite was short lived, however, as a gloved hand smacked onto the ground. Groaning, Synthia picked up Christoph and began hobbling away from their pursuer. Iggy grabbed his left side and they began skipping away. If they weren't in fear for their lives, they would've felt absolutely ridiculous being reduced to this.

Drea got up from the ladder and began running after them, blonde ponytail whipping behind her. Synthia drew the Mioja off her back and fired off Darkness attacks at her, pushing her away just enough to let them escape. The blasts rocked the mine further, dust falling from the ceiling.

So much time had passed that it was finally daybreak, the sun's rays peeking in through the entrance up ahead. Hobbling faster and firing off spells to push their hunter further back, the two girls hobbled faster and faster, dragging Christoph's feet against the ground as they did.

They felt the ground rumble beneath them just before reaching the exit. The entire mine shook as a massive eruption echoed from below. Realizing the firecrystals had all begun exploding at once, the girls screamed in exertion as they made the final stretch and dove out the entrance, Drea following them a second later.

A tongue of fire and pressurized dust shot out behind them. The area shook as the sound of collapsing rock and thousands of pounds of debris collapsed beneath the ground. With a final roar of fury, silence enveloped the mountain once more, with the survivors of the disaster taking in grateful breaths of fresh air.

Synthia was on her back, sucking in lungfuls of oxygen. Her heart was still hammering on her chest, and her body began to relax. This was why she barely had enough time to react at the dagger aimed at her throat, countering it just before it reached it's intended target.

Above her, an older dwarven woman was snarling, trying to plunge the blade into her skin. Grunting back, Synthia unleashed another blast of magic. The energy blew the assailant off her and the dagger from piercing her flesh. Knowing there was no time to lose, she scrambled to her knees and shook Iggy. She could see Drea on the ground slowly beginning to shake herself off, holding her head. There were also several horses whinnying at all the noise, jumping up on their hind legs in fear.

"These guys are going to kill us," Synthia forced out. "Take the car. I'll take the zeitcycle."

Iggy groaned as she sat up, dusting herself off. She hauled Christoph back up and brought him to the car while Synthia fetched a medicinal potion from the bike. They both silently marveled that he was still alive at all, though he had fallen back unconscious. After putting him on the passenger's side, Iggy jumped into the driver's seat and started it, tossing Synthia the zeitcycle key and a quick nod as she sped off.

Synthia staggered over to the bike, sliding the Mioja onto her back again and gripping the handlebars as she keyed the ignition. Yanking down the throttle, she wasted no time in following after her companions, black robe flapping behind her as she shot forward.

Drea, having relieved most of her shock, saw the bike depart and automatically ran to Caraid. Kicking her feet into the holster and hoisting herself onto him, she shouted at Hyfe who had gotten back up on shaky legs after being blown away from Synthia.

"I'll catch up to them! You handle the horses and catch up when you can!"

Hyfe rubbed her neck. "The others?"

Drea winced. "... They'll be avenged soon enough. Yah!"

Without another word, she left Hyfe to see to the now ownerless horses aside from her own pony. The golden mercenary glinted in the morning sun as she rode after the targets of her vengeance, white cloak billowing behind her.