The following day, the group spent most of their time talking about Darian's and the others' past adventures; hearing these things, both Syrmax and Orechin couldn't believe their ears.
"Woah…" whispered Orechin, amazed. Neither he nor Syrmax had ever been out of the city, and they had never been able to hear anything from outside Ardoris. "So there are a total of four main cities? And Ardoris is one of them?"
"The third city they visited was destroyed… and to think such powerful creatures exist…" said Syrmax as he thought about Kyujin and Archilochus's final form.
"Oh right, I stopped listening when they spoke about that Archilochus who could turn into a water dragon…" murmured Orechin as he created a small green crystal in his hands. 'I wonder if these are able to damage him…' thought Orechin, wondering how he could defeat someone that powerful.
"One of the people from our city was able to defeat him…" whispered Liro. Lily, next to him, nodded. "And there was Garoo, too…" she said, and as she mentioned the name, a sad look appeared over her face.
"Oh right, you told us that someone else had started to fight against that creature but didn't make it…" whispered Syrmax. In front of him, Orechin was still looking at the green crystal.
Suddenly, Orechin smashed the small crystal into multiple pieces and turned his head toward the others. "And you said that these people were about to come here?" asked Orechin. Darian nodded.
"We told you, our friend Bianca was the one who found Catripple, and rather than coming with us, she returned to her city to call for help," explained Darian again. Syrmax, hearing this, was lost in thought.
"And how long will it take? Will the others be able to arrive soon?" asked Syrmax. Everyone's faces were unsure.
"It's hard to tell, it's been around ten days since we arrived here, right?" asked Liro as he looked over at Darian, who nodded. "Yeah, around that," Darian answered. Liro then turned his head back to Syrmax and spoke again.
"It normally takes seven days to arrive from Darian's base to either Skar-Zhul or Therya, and assuming it takes four to five days to arrive here…" said Liro. "They definitely need more time to arrive," added Darian.
"Well, we haven't seen your abilities yet, but we're sure you're definitely strong enough to help us with what we need, especially after hearing what you've been able to do; we have high hopes," said Orechin. Vane, next to him, smiled and got up from his chair.
"Eh, I'll kick Ashikunz's, Zrelekai's, and that thing's—the one we found in the ruins—ass!" he shouted as he started to punch the air. Orechin looked at him, amused.
"Oh right, you fought against the Seamstress, too," pointed out Syrmax while adjusting his monocle. The moment he looked at the others, he could tell by their faces that they had a lot of questions.
"But… what even is that creature? Is it human?" asked Lily, her body shaking at the thought of the plushies that creature could summon.
"We don't know much. Uxar knew that it had been there since Ardoris was created, but other than that, we never met it either, as it only lives outside the city," answered Syrmax.
"Then could it be a Krukin? If it has lived for over three hundred years…" proposed Liro, but next to him, Darian shook his head.
"No Krukin is able to use magic. Maybe it is like Zrelekai? Another half-Krukin?" whispered Darian. Suddenly, a voice could be heard from the entrance.
"Sadly, neither of the guards knows much about it." The moment this voice was heard, everyone suddenly turned toward the entrance and noticed Tyel eating a burger. "Hey, everyone," he said while chewing.
"Don't worry, I brought them for you too," said Tyel, noticing that everyone was more focused on the hamburgers than on him. Hearing these words, a reassured look appeared over their faces.
"So? Were you able to discover anything more, Tyel?" asked Syrmax, who was the first to take his eyes off the hamburgers.
"Yes. Tomorrow we're already going, as it is one of my free days," said Tyel. Everyone's attention suddenly returned to him.
"Already tomorrow?" said Orechin as he grabbed one of the hamburgers and started to eat.
"Yes. I've heard that during lunchtime—so from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.—there isn't anyone at the hole, not even guards on the wall," said Tyel as he took a seat. He had just finished the hamburger he was eating when he entered the base, and now he took another one.
"And so tomorrow we will already go out? Do you know anything about what we can find outside the hole, Tyel?" asked Darian as he grabbed a hamburger to eat.
"Sadly, no," said Tyel as he took another bite.
"But we don't know how much longer they will leave Catripple alive… we can't afford to lose any time," said Orechin as he chewed another bite.
"I agree… then how should we move?" asked Syrmax, nodding in agreement with Orechin.
"The hole isn't far from there. Tomorrow, exactly at 1 p.m., go outside the base. You'll see me there and we will go directly there. I'll think of the perfect route to get there; until then, just wait," said Tyel with a serious expression. Everyone else hearing that nodded.
"And from what I understand, we aren't allowed to waste time, right?" asked Darian. Tyel nodded.
"Exactly. Tomorrow, if we find the way to enter the Secret Laboratories… we're going in without any hesitation," answered Tyel. He had finished eating his second hamburger and was finally feeling full.
"Well then, I'd better be going," said Tyel, not waiting for the others who were still eating. "I've got to think of a plan for tomorrow." With that, Tyel went outside and waved back at the group.
"Then get ready for tomorrow, guys. I'm excited to see what good power you have in store for us, Darian," said Tyel, smirking in amusement. Darian smirked too and looked at Tyel. "Don't worry, I'll help you without any problem," Darian said.
"I'm sure you will." With that, Tyel went outside the base and started to walk back toward his home while all the streets were empty and no guard was walking around.
"Well, we'd better get some sleep; we have someone to save tomorrow," said Syrmax the moment he finished eating his hamburger. "I agree," said Lily as she got up from her chair, stretching out.
"We'd better be well-rested for tomorrow," pointed out Liro as he got up from his chair too. Next to him, Darian grabbed Snowy and did the same.
'Finally, we will meet that Ashikunz again… I wonder if all of us will actually be able to defeat him,' thought Darian as he looked at the sleeping fox in his hands and smiled. 'We have definitely fought worse opponents; it will not be a problem.' With this thought in mind, Darian started to walk toward his room along with the others.
The following day, the group was ready. "It's time," said Syrmax as he looked at the clock anxiously. The moment he said these words, the group, without any hesitation, got up from their chairs and started to walk out of the base.
When they went outside, Tyel was already there. Dressed in his hero costume, he was waiting for the group. Darian, who was not used to seeing Tyel dressed like this, looked at him slightly confused.
"We'll explain later… for now, don't mind it," whispered Liro. Darian, a bit unsure, with Snowy waking up on his shoulder, slowly nodded.
"I found the best route for us. Come on, follow me," ordered Tyel. Orechin slowly closed the entrance and nodded. "We're ready," said Syrmax, who had already started to charge solar light; in fact, right before coming out, he had already removed his shirt and monocle.
The group started to follow Tyel through the empty streets; currently, there wasn't anyone walking around and the guards were easy to avoid. "Attention, there's a camera here," said Tyel as he stopped the whole group. Getting spotted by a camera would mean the end for everyone, as the guards would spot them.
"We'll go from here," whispered Tyel as he suddenly changed direction. The group nodded and started to walk slowly behind him. After ten minutes, the group was finally able to reach the walls of the city.
"It should be around here…" whispered Tyel as he glanced around until he found some old boxes covering something. The moment he moved them, the secret hole was finally revealed.
"Liro… remember what I told you this morning?" asked Darian. Liro nodded and created an illusion of a human. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten," he said, sure of himself.
Everyone remained there waiting until Liro's illusion passed through the hole. The group remained silent, looking at the illusion. "Will something happen?" wondered Liro. After a few seconds, the illusion was still there and no one had shot anything.
"We can assume it's safe to go… still, don't remove the illusion, Liro," ordered Tyel. Liro nodded and left the illusion a few steps ahead of them. The moment the group was out, Syrmax, Orechin, and Tyel felt like free men.
They had never had the chance to go outside the city like the others, and looking at the walls behind them created a sort of weird effect for them. "We're actually out…" whispered Orechin, unable to believe what had just happened.
"You can literally escape and they might never be able to find you," said Syrmax playfully. While his body had become larger and his hair had grown, his voice had become deeper too.
"But this isn't what we came here for. We have to save Catripple and then return to the city… so that we can save everyone," said Tyel as he looked at his group.
"We know… and we will return to the city so everyone else will be saved too," said Syrmax with his hands in his pockets.
"Hey guys… look here," called out Vane, as he had taken more steps forward, not waiting for the illusion to take the lead.
"What did you find?" asked Darian as he got next to Vane, who was standing among some bushes. The moment Darian pushed them aside to get a better view, what he noticed made his heart beat faster.
In front of him and Vane was what seemed to be an entrance. There was a black opening that led down a long stairway; the walls around it were totally black, making it impossible to miss.
"Is this supposed to be the entrance to the laboratories?" asked Orechin. Tyel took a look and nodded. "I heard that they were totally black… it's definitely the entrance left for us," said Tyel, annoyed.
"We know that it is a bait… but don't worry, we still have my illusions," said Liro. "I can camouflage us before we enter; they will not be able to spot us," he added.
"And in the end, I actually have to wait for you here. I will not be able to gather any solar energy from deep below; I'll wait for you here," said Syrmax, as he was sure that the plan would oblige him to remain outside waiting for the group's return.
"You can hold as much energy as you need…" whispered Orechin as he suddenly created a blue crystal for Syrmax. "Here, it will definitely help you if someone comes nearby." Orechin gave the blue crystal to Syrmax, who took it without any problem.
"We should go, guys… and good luck, Syrmax. We're sure that you'll be able to help us the moment we come out," said Tyel as he positioned himself in front of the entrance near Liro. Syrmax sat down on the grass, looking around.
"I'll store as much energy as I can; you can count on me for later, guys," said Syrmax as he watched the group become totally black thanks to Liro's illusion.
"Remember to never stop touching the one in front of you," said Liro as he started to take the lead. Everyone else nodded, and the group started to walk slowly down the black stairs.
These stairs were extremely long and the air was definitely changing. Neither of them could actually tell how deep they were going, but soon enough they reached an extremely long hallway. It didn't have any other rooms or paths to take; it was just a long, boring hallway.
"I wonder where this will bring us…" whispered Orechin while looking around, but like the others, he wasn't able to find anything. Sometimes they would pass under a camera, but none were able to spot them as they were basically invisible.
"This Ashikunz doesn't know how to decorate anything… it all seems boring," said Vane, getting annoyed that nothing was around them while the hallway still looked the same.
"It's better that we don't find anything… at least they can't find us either," said Lily, feeling slightly reassured that they weren't finding any enemies.
After ten minutes of the long, boring walk, the group finally noticed a big room in front of them, where more hallways were finally connected.
"Finally, something different… calm down everyone, we might be close to something," said Tyel. The group all nodded. "Let's go somewhere else… I feel like there isn't much for us to see in this huge ro—" Tyel immediately fell silent, like the others, as they were able to hear a voice.
"I wonder when they will arrive…"
Syrmax, Orechin, and Tyel immediately recognized that voice. It was Ashikunz, and it was coming from the big room. "He's waiting for us… but let's avoid him," whispered Tyel, speaking in an extremely low tone. The group agreed.
"Hey guys… maybe we don't want to ignore him," said Vane as he pointed toward Ashikunz. While the rest of the group had completely avoided looking at him, Vane did, and what he saw made his heart beat extremely fast.
"Hey, why is that? Literally, it will just be a waste of ti—" Orechin couldn't even finish his sentence before he noticed what Ashikunz was holding in his hands: it was Catripple's head.
"No…" said Tyel, unable to believe it. Orechin was slowly becoming angrier and could no longer remain still.
"I'll go and kick that guy's ass!" he shouted without any fear, completely breaking free of Liro's illusion and causing everyone else to be spotted as well. Ashikunz, hearing these words, slowly turned his head and looked at the group.
"Oh… look who's finally here," said Ashikunz as he slowly returned to his feet and launched Catripple's head toward the group. The head rolled directly to Orechin's feet; some blood was still dripping from it, making it feel as if it had been cut recently.
"We don't have much choice now…" said Vane as he stepped forward and walked into the room. "I'll fucking end you," whispered Orechin, enraged. Ashikunz, without any fear, gripped the spear in his hands. "I'd like to see you try."