30 Atum

Before Riku could even make the first step, the shrill sound of an icicle embedding itself onto the ground erupted from his left side, forcing him to shield himself from the blast as he grabbed onto the nearest support he could find to keep himself standing. Said support was also shivering on her feet, however, allowing her to ignore just where exactly the former assassin ended up holding onto her.

'Soft...' he couldn't help but think as he felt Shizu's left breast on his palm. 'Still, it's not the time for me to appreciate such a thing.'

Shaking his head, Riku stood up straight and brandished his knife at the ready. There was an enemy to deal with, and he'd rather be caught dead than being unprofessional in such a high tension situation.

"W-W-Wa-"

"Stay calm," he quickly told Shizu as she did her best to fight off her impending panic. "We'll get out of this."

Just as he said those words, more projectiles came raining down on them as if to emphasize the current danger they were in. Ice and rock fell in tandem with one another, the air around them filled with crystals and dust as the cold temperatures clashed against the heat that was burning within him.

"R-Right," his fellow Champion nodded. "I'll follow your lead."

Giving Shizu a nod, Riku gave Nyx a knowing nod before he quickly crouched back down and began to lead them away from what was clearly a very dangerous battlefield. Keeping to the sides of the street, he did his best to keep his head down as he slinked away into the alleyways, leading Shizu and Nyx from the rain of ice and earth in favor of actually being somewhere that wouldn't get them killed at a moment's notice.

/How far are we away from them?/ he asked Nyx telepathically.

/Not far at all,/ the goddess replied. /You're both at risk of getting caught in the fighting, though I'm pretty sure you'll both do fine despite everything, if I'm being honest./

He frowned at his patron goddess's assessment. He sincerely doubted that was the case, though he wouldn't write off the possibility of them winning if the situation really called for it. No, he didn't want them facing that risk. If they could-

"Arghh!!!"

A grunt of pain flew past them, making Riku halt in his steps as the body of one of the combatants slid across the ground just in front of them. Quickly stretching out his hand, he wordlessly told Shizu and Nyx to stay behind him as he keenly observed the man that just fell to the ground. He looked relatively young, perhaps in his early thirties wearing what looked to be ancient Egyptian garb. Complete with the headgear befitting of Anubis himself, the man held a hammer and a chisel as he picked himself off the ground.

"You..." the Egyptian growled. "Why won't you die, viking?!"

'Viking?' Riku inwardly thought. 'I suppose there are Champions that got plucked out of their own respective times then.'

"Woah... he looks like an actual ancient Egyptian," Shizu couldn't help but gasp in amazement. "Do you think he-"

Once again, Riku interrupted her, silently telling her to shut up with a gesture of his fists as he made for them to back up deeper into the alleyway. Just in time, the faint whistle of icicles soaring through the air made themselves heard, all of them aimed right at the ancient Champion that appeared before them. The former assassin didn't know what this man would do against seemingly impossible odds, but he had a feeling that this man hadn't even shown the full extent of his power.

True enough, as the icicles neared them, the Egyptian Champion's hammer and chisel started glowing an earthly brown, the ground around him shaking as the silver roads gave way to earth and rock. The ground shook against his will, his tools flying out of his hands to craft the earth and rock in front of him to his specifications.

"The power of Ra guides me," the Egyptian whispered, almost praying as shields and obelisks materialized in front of him. "Through the guidance of His servant Brahma, your measly ice cannot hurt me!"

With a stomp of his leg, the earth beneath the Egyptian cracked and shattered, a massive pillar quickly extending past and launching him into the air. Around him, the pillars he made prior followed him like projectiles, spinning around him as if to act as he shield against the icicles that began pummeling him down from a distance.

All the while, Riku silently watched, taking in any and all information he could get as he let the area around them finally settle down once more. He caught a few names here and there, but the only thing he was certain of was that the Champion they just saw was probably Brahma's.

"H-He's gone now," Shizu whispered. "We're good, right?"

"For now, at least," Riku nodded. "And I think I see the exit now. We should move."

"Oh, you're all going through then? In that case, I'll see you two on the next Depth," Nyx casually nodded. "Don't take too long now."

With a wave of her hand, Nyx disappeared before them with a wash of dark chaotic energy. She was most likely already waiting for them in the next Depth as she always did whenever they had to cross a portal. Well, that wasn't always the case, but after the first time she came with them through one, she swore she'd never go through it again.

'Honestly, it's not that bad after a few times,' he shrugged.

Spotting the telltale blue glow of a blue portal that denoted their exit out of their current Depth, Riku ignored whatever else there was that was happening in the background as he and Shizu quickly jumped in toward the next Depth. As usual, the sensation of falling through a pillar of water made him almost feel like he was drowning despite having already done this exact same thing a few times now. Eventually, he felt his feet touch the ground once more, the pillar of water carrying them finally ending as they are deposited in a random spot in the next Depth that they had to cross.