Chapter 3: [ARC 1] Chapter 1 - Descent

Though they were prisoners, and all shoved into the cage they called an elevator, they were all allowed to keep their weapons and whatever items they had on themselves.

Yoru had been told they would keep their weapons but there was no reason to believe the rumor. They were going descending the Wishing Well after all. It was within reason to keep everything she hidden away from view. That’s why she hid her weapons and items in her shadow. It would take eating a Spirit Key for her to retrieve those weapons and she had a few hidden on her. Still, not to look suspicious, she did hang a cheap sword and knife on her belt. She hid a Key in a fake compartment at the edge of her sheath. Intentional, for the guards to find it and to overlook the others on her. The guards didn’t give her so much as a glance on what she carried or had. They allowed her to keep her black cloak, her pouch that carried some medicine, and potions without thought.

Were they even trying to do their job? If she ate a Key, she could summon Shadow Heart and cut out of this cage-

An axe crashed into the bars. It reverberated in the big man’s hands. He laughed in glee.

“Giving us all our weapons. You think I’ll go down into that abyss. There’s no way I wi-”

Half of his face was chomped on by an invisible force.

“Eh?” His mouth managed to say before the rest of his body was chomped.

There was a scream somewhere, but Yoru ignored it. Her interest in the cage had swelled. She tapped lightly at the bar. Even with her Gate closed, she could feel the sensation of someone’s aura inscribed into the bar.

After that the elevator shook and it descended into the abyss.

“So, that is why, no one breaks out of the elevator.”

A familiar voice, she looked up to see her Guardian, Kenichi. Just like her, he was a beastkin. Cute little round ears on top of his wavy brown hair. He was a large man wearing bandages on his muscular forearms. Beastkins like them had two noticeable difference from a normal human, and that was their ears and tail. Instead of having those round or pointy ears on the side of their face, their ears were on top of their head.

If he was bear, then she was a wolf.

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Black pointed ears on her inky black hair. Purple eyes that her lover had once told her were like gems. Her tail had been her pride, she wore two golden bangles on it. Though, lately she hadn’t been brushing it.

“There aren’t that many that could inscribe their Auras like this.” She poked at the bars with her slender finger. “I wonder who did it?”

“Who knows?” He shrugged. “Elves?”

She covered her mouth deep in thought.

“They could do something like this.”

“Do you think there could be any down there?”

“No. There hasn’t been a sighting of them for at least a hundred years. They’re all hiding behind the veil of the Starfall Forest.” Though she had never seen one herself, she was quite sure that no elf would be down here.

“It’s strange though, isn’t it? While they took away our weapons when they processed us, they gave back to us. It’s foreboding.”

“It is,” she simply acknowledged.

Her gaze locked down, she watched them drift down into the darkness, like a lure on a fishing pole.

“A piece of her is down here. That’s our mission, isn’t it? As Priestess and as Guardian. So, it doesn’t matter if it’s hell we descend to or not. We go where we need to go.”

Kenichi gave a grunt in acknowledgment.

“It’s been a while for you though. Are you prepared?”

Yoru glared daggers at him as if asking that question meant death to him. The guardian raised his hands in a solemn manner.

“That was my bad, I suppose, but it must be asked. You were never bound by duty, Yoru. You left us when you decided that the position wasn’t for you. You come back now, and your eyes are full of darkness.”

Despite those dark eyes staring at him, the Guardian remained unflinched. His perpetual solemn expression stayed plastered on his face. Waiting for her to answer his question.

He would wait forever. She wouldn’t answer his question. She instead asked her own question.

“Is that mercenary you hired trustworthy?”

Kenichi expression turned slightly darker for being asked that, and for her ignoring his question.

“He is.” He stated in absolute confidence.

“I know he’s strong. I know because I’ve fought him many, many times. So, let me say this, he would betray us without a second thought if it meant his life. Don’t let your misguided sense of comradery forget that. He is a mercenary, he isn’t tied to the Church. He has joined the Church of the Sun against us many, many times.”

“It’s because they hired him.”

“His only principle is who will pay him the most,” she said in a dark tone. “Have you found Aria yet?”

“She is being watched by Subaru,” Kenichi said.

She just couldn’t with this man. He was too loyal for his own good. Though he questioned her purpose for returning, he stayed with her nonetheless. There was no doubt that he wouldn’t abscond from his duty.

“Aria is fine. I just gave her another dose. She will be asleep for the whole way down.”

“And you’re leaving her with him?” She arched a brow at that. “Forget it, take me to them. We can’t trust the mercenary with our ace in the hole.”

The Kenichi gave a sigh, one of many she was sure he would continue to give.

With that, the bear led the wolf.