John's laughter slowly dies out.
"Dear, that's hilarious as shit!"
His says, making the words echo against the weak stone walls.
"John, your loud, lower your tone."
Rosa, stone cold voice tells John, and like a light switch his tone lowers.
"Sorry, honey. Didn't think I was loud."
"Well, you were, and if it ends up drawing a hundred Chicken-Fish, Your going to deal with them all by yourself."
John groans, then runs up to the middle, leaving me to be staring at nothing from behind Angel.
"Wait, but that's not fun, especially for Angel, you know that she'll end up fighting anyway, and plus, a hundred Chicken-Fish. That's really annoying!"
Angel chuckles a bit.
"Don't worry John. You can have all hundred of them."
"That's not what I want Angel."
John says in a whimpering tone.
"Wel... Well, if we do end up... ha... having to fight a hundred Chicken-Fish. I won't mind helping you."
"Yay! Timi! You're the best!"
John says.
They all continue their talking, laughing and conversation all while I'm here staring at the ground, or in the bottom corner of my eye, the metal butt if Angel, which was actually well built, in a compliment type of way.
"Guys. When can I get down?"
When I ask that John appears in front of me again.
"Nah, we are already kidnapping you, gonna sell you to the highest bidder."
"Jo… John, you… you know what he went through when h… he was younger… stu… stop."
Timi comes to my defense.
"Oh, yeah…"
A long pause as John looks at me with disappointment in his eye, but not for me, for him.
"Well, we're already gonna put you down. If that's what you really want?"
John says lifting my bag up by one strap, my bow on his shoulder as if copying what I do.
"Yes please."
I ask nicely.
Angel stops her feet, then softly lowers me to the ground and puts my head.
"You okay kid?"
Angel asks.
"Yeah, just need to stretch my legs then get my arm healed."
John comes from behind her with both my bag and bow.
He lifts the bag and slowly puts the bag onto my back, in a new way, where the strap goes across my chest instead of on my shoulders.
"Great. Good fashion if I say so myself, Flock Industrial Design would love to have me in their company."
Rosa lets out a stifled laugh as John unslings the bow and puts it on my shoulder.
"What's so funny, honey?"
John says.
"The idea that anyone would love you."
"You married me?"
John says.
'When did Flock become a…'
"YOU'RE MARRIED!?"
I yell as he put the bow on my shoulder, which made him jump back.
"Why scream, kid you scared me."
John says.
"Yes they are. Surprised me too, this lame guy married that goddess rivaling woman."
Angel says jokingly, as we all continue to walk again leaving John behind as he looks at us dumbfounded.
His face looking at us like a sad child.
"Guys, I'm not ugly or anything like that. And I'm not even weak."
"Wellllll…."
Rosa the same person that MARRIED John says.
"Don't just agree with them…"
He says sounding like a child now, as his feet pitter and patter as he gets closer to us.
"How did you marry… better question…"
I turn to John and point to him, with the bad arm and wince as I do so, turning I point with the other arm:
"How'd YOU get her?"
"She asked me to marry her."
John says defending himself.
"So you really lucked out?"
"Yup!"
"Y. Yup!"
They all say at the same time, Timi stumbles with her words for a second.
"Argh! I hate you guys."
Rosa and Angel and Timi all share a laugh for a second, before Rosa stops abruptly. Both her laughter and her movement.
"John, watch out back."
She said quietly.
John immediately put his hand on his rose hilt.
Angel and Timi's laughter died out to.
Angel held her mace on her hand in a tight grip.
Timi, moved toward me.
"Stay next to me Lazuli…"
Timi told me quietly, and without stuttering.
Tilting my head slightly to peek past Rosa, I see an open area along, three camps made there, all different sizes, very obviously the three of theirs.
A group of people, most wearing cloaks that cover their figure head to toe.
One of them spots us, and as if like a hive mind, three more reappeared from the tents to look at us. Except for one, a young looking one, that had a smile on her face and showing tattoos that stopped at her bald white forehead, with an upside down cross on it. She stands about as tall as Timi.
All of them looking different in a way.
One big as a tank, one with a metallic looking robe, and the one in the middle a woman, that slowly lowered her hood, she had a tattoo in the middle of her face, that could also very well be a scar, an upside down cross.
She had hair to her neck and brown skin, that was just the best complexion ever for a woman, soon. A smile on her face, that looked friendly, but didn't feel friendly.
Her features were amazing, her eyes even with the tattoo, showed her red? Pupils.
She smiled wider, to show a smile with a flash of shape teeth?
I didn't get the best picture of them in my sight, but I think that's a good idea of what I saw.
"Sorry, I seem to have lost something of importance in these tunnels and though that you would have it."
The one in front says.
"May I ask what you lost?"
"A soul."
The bald girl behind them says, then lets out a small laugh.
My bow tingles on my shoulder.
"What does that mean?"
Rosa asks.
"Excuse my friend for her lack of understanding the situation we're in."
The woman says.
"May I ask why you thought it would be in our tents?"
"Just to be thorough."
"Did you find it?"
My bow tingle even more.
'What the hell!'
"No, but I could sworn it would be here."
Turning my head from the woman in the front I look over at the other person beside her, the one in the metallic robe.
For a second, I look at his attire, as if admiring it, then as my eyes roam further up, for the smallest of seconds, our eyes catch a glimpse of each other.
My vision immediately switches to look down.
"We never ment any harm by this."
The woman says.
"Well, we'll appreciate it if you left."
Rosa says.
"Sorry but you wouldn't mind if we got ano…"
The metallic robe one moves next to the woman and brings his head to her ear, as I look to the their eye flashes to me.
I look away from them.
'Why, their aura is scary, like they are death itself…'
Slowly and with fear, I turn my head back and slowly lift my eye patch.
Looking at them.
All of them, their auras, the color of darkness, not black, not a shade of dark.
"Emptiness.."
I unknowingly say that out loud.
Making Timi look to me with confusion.
She then turns her head back, not asking me any questions.
My eye patch tightens around my eye without me even thinking about it.
The two stop talking, and move away from each other, or we'll, metallic rove moves from her.
"What do you think we end this conversation for today?"
The woman says.
The group begins to walk toward us.
One by one, taking slow steps.
"We'll take our leave, it probably fell out somewhere back there."
The woman says pointing behind us.
"Yes. Please leave."
Walking over toward us, one then the other. Starting with the big guy, then slowly the after him is the woman, then the metallic wearing man.
Grabbing at my face, more specifically the eye patch, I lightly lift it up. A black silhouette appears in front of me, making stand there stunned, then The bald girl stands in front of me, her hand outstretched as if to grab me.
At the same time there is John, his hand grabbing the outstretched hand of the bald girl.
'What?'
John smiles at the girl. The girl smiles at John.
Everyone in the area begins to slightly tighten their muscles.
"Sorry, I wasn't able to catch your name?"
John asks the girl.
"Julia. And yours?"
The bald girl answers, then asks.
"John. So, Julia. You know it's rude to touch people without their permission right?"
John says.
Julia smiles at John, then turns that smile to me, making me take a step back.
Angel tilts her head toward the group that as of right now stands beside us, giving the tunnel a filling of it's people today.
"Then you should tell the young one, to stop peeking at people. Gives them creeps."
'What does that mean?'
"What?"
John asks.
His hand still holding Julia's hand. There begins to be visible strain in John's hand. Meaning he's tightening his hand.
Julia smiles grows a bit more, her teeth shine to me for just a split second, sharp and as if trying to pull me in.
"Isn't that right, friend?"
Slowly she lifts her other hand to try and bring it to my face, wanting to touch me.
My bow tingles on my shoulder, nearly making it vibrate intensely.
The tension in the room, grows, as Rosa pops her neck. Timi closes her eyes, making some light come off of her staff, and Angel stays with her head tilted to look at the trio beside us.
Out of the corner of my right eye, I can't see any visible change to their movement, besides the complete stop beside us.
A massive clap that echoes through the tunnel walls, break the tension. Stopping Julia from touching my face.
"Okay Julia. No more bothering the people. We have to find our Soul."
John lets her hand go as Julia pulls it away. Still smiling at me.
"Yes, Masque."
Julia walks past Angel, who keeps a close eye on her as she walks past the group again, only this time to get to her group this time, instead of trying to get to me this time.
"Goodbye, John and Friends."
They begin to walk, this time, with Julia beside the Masque as she walks and leans into Julia. She turns for a second to look at the group, I turn to see them leave, Julia gives a slow and intimidating wave to me, before she turns her head back forward.
Slowly their footsteps grow distant. Soon no longer being able to hear them at all.
"What the hell was the matter with them?!"
John says first, turning to look at me with a concerned look.
"She didn't curse you no?"
He asks me, as if he's my father.
My body tenses, but this time, not because I want to use Soul displacement, but because I feel my body growing extremely heavy.
"I'm tired."
John smiles at me, and puts his hand on my shoulder, as soon as he does so, His face grows slightly pale.
My eyes begin to flutter shut.
"Timi, he's bleeding a lot. You..."
All I see is John look at me, with conceren on his face, before him and all the other surroundings around him, including the others grow blurry, and I feel the wind resistance grow on my body, as I fall backwards.
Landing hard on the ground, my vision turns dark.
~~~
Sply stabs one last spider, that's the size of her entire leg.
"Come out now."
She says as Celestrus comes from behind the door, as she enters, the door closes behind her, giving her a bit of a spook as the scratching sound is made.
"This place is weird Ma'am."
Sply looks at Celestrus. With her same usual look.
"Well, there is neve usually spiders here, this place is sometimes used as a rest for the inexperienced Hunters."
Sply walks forward, stopping at a slab of cement, that is on the ground, perfect as a seat.
"Well, It doens't matter, we'll wait for Lazuli here."