Chapter 191: Ghostly Trap

PoV: Yollic Zurn - Raven

A fleeting darkness right around the corner. I chase after it, driven forward by my authority. By the need to reinforce it, to mend those cracks, to properly dominate Kuro. The bastard has eluded me for too long, now. I see that dark cloak fluttering, and I tear after it. Runes appear in front of me, on the ground, the walls, the ceiling as I tear past.

Minor traps dealing minor damages. Then, I turn a corner, and darkness envelops it so completely. Another scream reaches my ears, rattling my head, shaking the thoughts from it. I roar, tearing another ghost apart.

[You have killed a lv. 82 Banshee]

The notification is unimportant. Instead, I rush down the hallway - and then, suddenly, I’m not alone. With a soft pop, there’s Gem. The sword-wielding knight, wearing a wide grin. “Ahhh, sorry Raven,” they say casually. “You caught up a bit too much. I’m here to give you a little trouble, see?”

I growl in frustration, charging at them, only for the warrior to disappear. Their sword flashes behind me, brutally fast - but never fast enough. I turn into a storm of birds before they can follow through on the swing, their edge passing through empty air. A swift pivot from them leads to a follow up, but in the flock of feathers, they miss.

A dozen tiny claws tear towards them, at their skin - but they just vanish again, appearing twenty steps down the corridor, still wearing that same smug smile. It scratches at my authority - it makes me want to cage them. To scar them. Wrapping that barbed wire around my feathers, I blast them with an absolute torrent, but still, Gem just smiles.

And disappears.

My feathers slam into the wall in a waste of mana, activating another rune. And, in doing so, more mana spills out. Luring the ghosts - a banshee pokes her head through a wall, from a picture hanging on the empty hallway near my head. She wails, before I tear her apart with a yell of frustration.

My head aches. There’s blood slowly trickling from my ears. But Kuro just turned down the corner, so I tear after them.

- - -

PoV: Dove

We chase after Raven, scaling the wall. Mana and blood lead down a staircase, into the castle’s dark depths. Coldscar leads ahead, with a horrible scowl on his head. As if he cannot stand the thought of what Raven is doing. 

Except, when we follow the staircase, who we find is Hush. The leader of the crybabies, standing there with a calm smile on his face. “Greetings,” he says happily, flaring his arms wide. “I am so very glad you could make it. Come in, come in. Let me show you a-”

Coldscar tears ahead in a blizzard of cold air, moving to wrap a hand around Hush’s throat, but then, the monster rouses. I see Hush twist, and he moves with swiftness no one of that level should have. Coldscar’s blow gets caught, and Hush throws him further into the corridor. A dozen little runes light up at the unpredictable path, each one of them leaving just tiny wounds on Coldscar. Things that mean nothing. Except, of course, at the end, when he rises from the ground with a fierce scowl, their vanguard, Hound, slams her fist into his face.

Coldscar reels back from the blow, grabbing his nose, which bleeds. Hissing softly, he summons up a blizzard, only to see that the woman is already running further down the hallway with carefully controlled steps.

He grimaces, then turns back to Hush. “Where did Raven go?” he asks, unhappy.

The beastly fighter, enveloped in a red haze of anger, gives the most placid, kind smile I have ever seen. He looks so genuinely sad. “Sorry,” he says, drawing the word out. “I don’t know, really. He must’ve run off somewhere. You know how he gets.”

With a quick flick of my wrist, I summon a pair of daggers in my hand. And a moment later, I hear a snicker behind me. A shiver runs down my back, and I turn - only for darts of compressed air to tear holes open in my skin and back. Titania, the faerie, hovers in the air, grinning brightly. 

Her single hand is outstretched and there is a wide grin on her face. “Want to make a bet with me, too? I bet that Raven will never make it back to you,” she says happily. Pain and fear mix, and I hastily toss my knives her way, but she dances through the air giggling. “Come on, Dove. Fight me. I promise I’ll only be a little cruel.”

Fuck that. Without hesitation, I run further into the castle. And, of course, instantly, I set off a trap. Darkness bubbles forth, enveloping the entire hallway.

A few seconds later, a pulse of mana from the old scithian and her lantern dispels it. But when the darkness is gone, so are the Crybabies, their footsteps echoing down the halls. Coldscar grimaces. “Find them!” he demands.

Blood already flows from my handful of shallow wounds. I frown, sweating, and step deeper down. 

Then, a horrible wail next to my ears makes my head throb. I kill the banshee a few seconds later, but the damage remains, and I grimace in pain. “Fuck,” I whisper. “This is bad.”

- - -

PoV: Anna Silvercrown - Cloak

We huddle in a small room. The runes around us buzz quietly, the door shut. I feel the enchantments on my cloak pressing down on me heavily. My mana is suppressed and hidden, the entire room isolated against it. Not even a wisp escapes from here, hiding us from the ghosts, and anyone else.

Trey huddles closely against me. He shivers slightly from the cold. Having his mana weakened after finally unlocking it scares him, but he’s being brave. I swallow my fear. It’s okay. “We’ll be okay,” I whisper.

Weakly, my brother nods. I see Jean meditating in a corner, his eyes closed. Isabelle has her arms crossed, holding onto her glaive, staring at the door. And Bofoy… Bofoy rises to their feet, and gives me a weak smile.

“It’s been a while,” they say. “I think I’ll head outside to help.”

“Help?” I ask. “Aren’t you… just above level fifty?” 

The zoof shrugs helplessly. “I still want to help. Yuki saved me before. It’s only fair that I return the favour.” There’s a glint in their eyes, and they sneak to the door. Their footsteps are quiet. I watch, silently, as they reach for the wooden handle. 

Just then, I consider calling them out on it. Telling them it’s a bad idea, that they’ll get hurt. But then, I don’t.

A shiver passes through me, and I press my lips shut, gently placing a hand over Trey’s mouth, too. I just sit there and watch as, very slowly, Bofoy opens the door and slips out, giving us a last glance as they close it.

[Instinct 12 > 13]

I swallow drily, then huddle some more. Except, of course, that’s not enough. It could never be enough to hide. My [Instinct] told me to stay silent. Whispered that Bofoy was dangerous. And Snow… Snow needs to know.

“Hey, Trey?” I whisper, and my brother turns to me. “Keep the others safe, alright? I’ll… be right back.”