Chapter Nine- Part Two

Pain speared through me as an arrow impaired my skin, striking my hip and arm sending blood flying everywhere. Archie's face contorted into something like worry and it was then I realised the blood stuck in my throat. Surrounded by a red mess, I looked back in the direction where the arrow came from. Lo and behold, there stood a crouched individual holding what looked to be a bow, right on top of my barricade. Their frame blended in with the night, masking them from view. The only identifiable thing on their person was the white mask that adorned their face.

A White Raven.

Archie barked out orders to run, to keep myself moving, and also to not remove the arrow protruding out of me. I followed her command, keeping myself busy as I tried to figure out a way to help diffuse the situation.

If we looked at the facts, the barricade was formed in order to keep the ghouls out. If we removed the barricade not only would we have to face the ghouls but there will be a hunter amongst them using our distraction to their advantage. Keeping the barricade offered the archer a vantage point. Not only that, but it's impossible to reach them from how high they stood. How did they even get up there in the first place?

"Helen, give me a hand," yelled Archie, whose lilac silk began rapidly transforming. I watched as Helen's Relic, a whip, began expanding larger and longer until it reached the top of the barricade's walls to create a bridge. Wasting no time Archie jumped onto it and ran up until she'd made it to the very top and lunged at the enemy.

The enemy moved with superior swiftness compared to Archie, whose attacks barely grazed the intruder. Her Relic now morphed into a shield, small enough to carry and defend against whatever hidden weapons the enemy may have.

I observed as the unknown archer landed a blow on Archie, sending her falling onto her back. Archie quickly raised her shield in time to collide with the attacker's weapon. I could barely make out what followed from my position down on the ground, but at least the attention was off of me.

Yudai ran at me, his watch glowing as he pointed his hand at my now bleeding arm and waist. As if on queue my arm momentarily stopped its bleeding yet the pain remained. I supposed he froze the effects of the arrow and whatever was laced in it.

Medina found us, rushing to our aid followed closely by Helen. "We need to get out of here."

I agreed but stumbled, "How do we do that? We're surrounded on all fronts. Not to mention we don't know how long Archie will last up there."

"Archie won't lose," explained Medina.

"How do you know?"

"She never has."

I was stunned silent at the faith they had in Archie. I mean, I knew she was good but I couldn't help but feel worried. Something was amiss yet I couldn't place my finger on it.

I tried and mustered up whatever energy was left swirling. I could feel the tank empty out, drained of power as I tried to desperately summon something. Anything.

"Look, the archer's running away!"

Above, I spotted the retreating figure disappear. Archie's form folded over itself when attempting to restrain the escapee and failed. Her chest bounced heavily, up and down in short gasps. I couldn't see her face, but I could imagine her exhaustion having been in close combat with such a skilled opponent.

Helen rushed up to help her, using her Relic as a grappling hook she launched herself upwards up onto the top of the barricade and swiftly brought Archie back down. Archie was gripping Helen tightly, and then I spotted her arm wounded with a matching injury to mine.

"Are you alright?" She asked, inspecting my arm for any dire wounds, scraping a finger of the frozen blood.

I nodded in affirmation, assuring her I was alright.

Archie walked normally, actually, her wound didn't even phase her at all. She conducted herself with that same dignity that her teammates respected with her chin high and back straight. It truly was a sight to behold. As she did, the walls began crumbling down, huge lumps of rock falling down until there stood nothing of what the barricade once was.

"It seems the ghouls have been crushed," observed Archie, as she lightly punched my good arm, "Good work."

Wait, did she just compliment me?

Startled silent, I didn't know what to say. I was too enervated to speak.

"Um, guys…," started Yudai, now tugging at my sleeve to get my attention. The rest looked over his way, to see him pointing at something protruding from the ground. "There's something over there."

Situated before us was a massive hole in the ground, colossal in size and extensively barren; the hole simply laid there in waiting, now exposed from the breakage of the barricade.

On closer inspection I spotted a staircase, although broken, it seemed sturdy enough to have lasted living beneath rock and soil for so long. It must have been ancient as the open space was dusted and old.

Apprehensive about the whole situation, Archie conducted a small experiment of her own. To test the stone stairs to see if they could balance her weight and dusted away at the stone and smelled for anything remotely fishy. After her safety check was cleared, we followed her lead down and down into the catacombs of whatever waited. It got darker as we ventured down under, light finding it impossible to reach us. As if to answer the darkness, Yudai's watch brightened and became our sun in the sea of black. Now illuminated, we all froze at the bottom of the staircase finally uncovering the mystery of the unknown cavern.

We were in a laboratory.