"Tap, tap... tap, tap..." The rhythmic sound echoed ominously through the narrow passageway.
Trailing a mere five meters behind the enigmatic Lord Sproul, Ryan paused in his steps. At the same moment, the dark blue veins beneath his feet surged against the natural flow, conjuring up a form from the ether. The figure materialized completely, topped with a billowing witch hat that danced lightly in the salty sea breeze.
It was none other than Freni.
At the sight of her, despair washed over the faces of Lord Sproul and the renowned "Sword Master" Il. They knew then the gravity of their predicament, three formidable opponents stood before them. The absence of "Roshan" Salem now made a cruel kind of sense to the pair.
With only Salem, the so-called 'mountain of meat', to oppose them, the outcome was foregone. The [Skull] they had so covetously sought had, unbeknownst to them, already changed hands.