Shadow Slave

Sunny had wanted to get back to the slates, but as he left the secret room, he suddenly felt uneasy. Something about the chamber had changed... he couldn't quite put a finger on it, but it was as if the shadows populating it were moving.

"Hold on to something."

Hearing Cassie's voice, he put his hand on a stone pillar. In the next moment, the floor beneath him violently shook. Its already pronounced tilt was suddenly even steeper, causing countless small pieces of rubble to roll in their direction. The sound of falling water had grown louder.

'Curses.'

Looking at his companions, Sunny sighed and said in a glum tone: "I guess the battle did too much damage to the temple, after all." Nephis nodded somberly.

"Should we hurry?"

He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. A swarm of sparks rose into the air, slowly forming into a familiar alloy chest. "We probably don't have much time before this entire place sinks. Let's just load everything into the Covetous Coffer... we can continue studying the slates when we're safely back on the Chain Breaker."

Of course, safety was a relative term here in the Tomb of Ariel. Sunny had only grown more wary of the Great River after reading the records in this ancient chamber, but still... he was not enthused at the idea of having to escape the temple while it was actively drowning.

Feeling like they had very little time left, the three Masters abandoned all attempts of categorizing the slates and simply threw everything remotely intact into the welcoming maw of the Covetous Coffer. The temple shook one more while they were at it, causing Sunny to curse in frustration.

Finally, they were done. Not wasting any time, Sunny led the way out of the central chamber, past the rooms full of rotting scrolls, and into the cold darkness of the narrow corridors leading to the great hall. By then, it felt like they were climbing a steep hill - the stone floor was tilted downward, water rushing past their feet and drenching them from above.

don't

sinking. Not only was he strong enough to break through the stone walls, he also possessed Memories of the

and claustrophobic. Being caught under an immense mass of stone, with cold water rising higher and higher with each moment, was not the most pleasant of feelings. The ancient temple was shaking and groaning,

and get to the surface by using

using the holy staff as a cane. After a short moment

great hall where the battle had taken place. Although not much time had passed, it was in far worse shape already - there were actual waterfalls flowing through wide cracks in the distant ceiling, and the dais where Cassie and the sybil had

Shadows, whom he had left there to stand guard, were silently watching

"Nightmare! Come!"

Sunny lingered for a moment, then turned around and grabbed Cassie by her thin

"Excuse me..."

the delicate girl, he placed her on the dark destrier's broad back and gave Nightmare a

better hold

say something, but a moment later, both of them were gone in a burst of wind. All that could be heard was the sound of adamantine hooves ringing on stone in the distance, and a short

'Now, then...'

those shadows had been accompanying the black stallion, the three of them -

the time he and Nephis reached the edge of the dais, he could already see the crimson blaze of the twilight sky. Just at that

A short instance later, they stepped on the ashen soil of the incinerated

regained his vision, the first thing he saw was Cassie kneeling on the ground in front of Nightmare, her face of an unhealthy greenish color. Taking a few deep

warn me next

He grinned.