Plus, the thing was still twice the size of a bus, so anyone who got close would be crushed by its frenetic scrambling.
Behind me, Sasrir materialised from the shadows and pulled me along. I saw Finn and Lyra following from the corner of my eye, but didn't spot Kora or Roric-perhaps they were on the other side of the Spire Messenger. After running for around ten minutes, we came to a stop under a crumbling wall, all taking our breath. I slumped to the floor, face pale as my body adjusted to the Crucifix's blood tax. Sasrir stood protectively by me, keeping an eye on Lyra and Finn near us.
After several minutes without anything chasing us, we finally relaxed and heaved a collective sigh. Once things had calmed down, Lyra turned to me and fixed her gaze of the Crucifix in my hand. "That thing...it's a Memory right? It dealt some serious harm to the Spire Messenger, what's its story?"
Thankfully, I already had a story thought up for this and wasn't flustered. "It's an Awakened Memory of the third Tier I got from my First Nightmare-it specialises in purifying and burning corrupted, and can support allies, but isn't very effective against Human foes."
The Spire Messenger was a Fallen Demon from what I remembered, so I had to emphasise that the Crucifix was "only" able to wound it because it was a counter towards monsters and not because it was actually stronger than Awakened. After all, nothing on the Forgotten Shore would drop something like this, and your First Nightmare was only meant to have enemies up to Awakened, though they can range from mere Beasts to a Titan in Class.
Lyra looked at me with scrutinizing eyes but didn't press me any further. Meanwhile, Finn had been checking out our surroundings for positioning and seemed to recognise where they were. "Alright, let's head back to the Castle...shit, we left the food behind when we ran."
"Our lives were more important," Sasrir shrugged and Lyra gave a grunt in agreement, but Finn was still annoyed. "Yeah well, now we need to make another trip before we're done. Sigh, hope Kora and Roric made it out alive..."
Picking myself off the ground, I grunted as my knees popped like an old man's. Sasrir gave me a mocking side-eye at the sound, and my mouth twitched. "In that case Seniors, please lead the way."
The four of us moved quickly, sticking to the shadows of the crumbling city. We didn't speak, saving our breath for the run and listening for any sign of pursuit. The image of the Spire Messenger was burned into our minds, a fresh nightmare to fuel our pace. Every distant sound made us flinch, expecting that terrible shriek to fill the air again.
We finally saw the dark bulk of Bright Castle in the distance, a welcome if gloomy sight. The guards at the gate gave us a once-over, noting our ragged state and lack of supplies, but they waved us through without comment. We headed straight for the common area our group used, a dim hall with rough-hewn benches. I slumped onto one, the adrenaline crash making my hands shake.
An hour crawled by in tense silence. We just sat there, listening to the distant sounds of the castle. No one said what we were all thinking: that Kora and Roric weren't coming back. The mood was grim, the failure of the mission and the potential loss of two members hanging heavy in the air. Finn kept pacing, while Lyra stared blankly at the wall.
Just as hope was fading, a noise at the entrance made us all look up. Kora stumbled in, supporting a barely-conscious Roric. She was a mess, her stone-skin Aspect gone, revealing a face bruised and cut. Roric was worse; his left arm was gone just below the shoulder, the stump crudely cauterized. They were alive, but just barely.
Lyra and Finn were on their feet in an instant, rushing to their sides. "Thank God you made it!" Finn breathed, helping Kora lower Roric onto a bench. "What happened? Your arm..." Lyra's voice was tight with concern as she looked at the big man, who was pale and sweating. I stood up too, putting on my best look of shocked relief.
"We led it on a chase through the old canals," Kora rasped, her voice raw. "Roric bought us a chance to hide... cost him an arm." She looked at her missing limb, her expression a mix of pain and grim acceptance. I moved closer, my face a mask of feigned sympathy. "I'm just glad you're both alive," I said, my tone dripping with false concern. It was a necessary performance to seem like a team player. I didn't hate or even dislike the two of course, but I didn't particularly care for them either. If they were dead, I would probably feel worse, but they were just injured. Though Roric might be out of the job with that injury...
"We need to get them to the healers, now," Lyra said, all business again. Finn and I helped get Roric to his feet, supporting his immense weight as we moved. Kora leaned on Lyra, hobbling along. The walk to the infirmary was slow and sombre. We left them in the care of a tired-looking Handmaiden who knew her business.