Walking through the slums, the trio soon found their destination.
In front of them stood a simple hut, where the only striking difference to most others close by was the abundance of hides and pelts covering the outer walls to stuff the holes.
"Before we knock, Sunny, turn around," said Nephis in an uncharacteristic tone.
"What, why?" Sunny asked perplexed.
"You will understand soon enough, but right now, turn around."
"Alright, alright," grumbled Sunny, while turning around, even shifting the attention of his shadow away from the door.
*knock*
-silence-
*knock* *knock*
-silence-
Nephis knocked multiple times, but inside was not even the slightest sound to be heard. With slightly furrowed brows, she continued knocking using more and more strength each time.
*BAM* *BAM*
Finally, there was a light rustle to be heard from the inside of the hut.
"Seriously… can no one ever let me sleep here? I swear, you better be something deserving of some beating…" grumbled a voice getting closer with each word.
The next moment the door opened and, in the door, stood one of the two people the trio had first met upon coming to the dark city, Effie.
The giant huntress stood there as she always was when she just woke up, in all her glory, still slightly groggy from being woken up so suddenly.
"Effie. Clothes," Nephis said those two words, also making Sunny understand the current situation. Regardless, with the people present, he wouldn't ever dare risk a glimpse, not even with his shadow.
A couple of seconds later came the voice of the olive-skinned beauty again, "Alright, so… what do you want?"
Hearing that their arrival was now the topic, Sunny turned around again, only to see Effie standing in the doorway in her usual white tunic, some sparks from the forming of the memory still lingering around her.
"We want you as our guide for the city."
'She's as direct as ever…" thought Sunny to himself, rolling his eyes lightly.
"What makes you think that I need more comrades?" the huntress asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Why shouldn't you?"
"Seriously? You wanna play like this?" the tired voice of her showed clear irritation.
"Sigh… listen, till very recently I always hunted alone. Just me, myself, and I. That was till Ray suddenly appeared and annoyed me," Effie just talked, the others listened. "The only reason I gave him a shot, was because he showed me in the travels we had from and to the wall. Otherwise, hell no. So, why would it be different with you?"
This time Sunny voiced his thoughts, "Surely, he wasn't the first good fighter in the time you were here, right? So why did you choose to go hunting with him then?"
This question brought forth a dark look to Effie's face for a second, before being replaced with her usual look, "Because he and his fighting style reminded me of someone I once knew. That's all. But, if you want me to be your guide, then show me that you are worth it."
"Okay."
With those words Nephis turned and left the huntress behind. Sunny and Cassia followed her shortly after.
Their direction?
The castle.
Back at Effie's hut, she, still standing in the doorway, turned to the side and looked towards a wall for a moment, "So? What do you think they are gonna do?"
"Probably something stupid…" came the voice of Ray that suddenly walked through the wall at the exact spot Effie looked at before. When he was fully outside, he turned towards the castle, a slight, nearly imperceptible smile forming, "Even then, it should be interesting."
Effie looked at him for a moment longer, before reentering her hut and closing the door.
Ray, left alone, thought for a moment and decided to follow the trio. All three of them were kind of eccentric, but still very capable. Also, it would be a lie if Ray said he wouldn't care if something happened to them, so for the worst outcome he should be there, as a last resort.
The trio made their way toward the castle, the imposing structure towering over the rest of the dark city like a silent, watchful predator. The air grew heavier the closer they got, as if the weight of the place itself was pressing down on them.
As expected, their approach did not go unnoticed. Two guards stood at the entrance, clad in some sort of armor memories, their weapons lazily resting at their sides. At first, they barely spared a glance at the three newcomers, but as they got closer, the guards straightened up, their expressions hardening.
"Halt." One of them raised a hand, his voice laced with disinterest. "You got the shards?"
Nephis didn't react, but Sunny tensed slightly. He had already guessed that they would need some sort of payment to get in again, but hearing it confirmed still made his mood sour. The tribute payment – soul shards, the currency of this forsaken city - was required for anyone who wished to enter the castle. And they had none left.
"We're not here for the tribute," Nephis stated plainly.
The guards exchanged looks before one of them let out a chuckle. "Oh yeah? Then what are you here for?"
Their eyes moved, scanning Nephis and Cassia with renewed interest. Sly grins formed on their faces, and there was an unmistakable shift in their posture, a lazy arrogance mixed with something more unpleasant.
"Well… there are other ways to enter, you know," the second guard said, his grin widening. "You wouldn't have to pay a single shard. Just say the word, and we'll take care of everything."
Sunny clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. His shadow stirred violently at his feet as well. His first instinct was to do something about those grins, about the way they looked at Nephis and Cassia like they were nothing more than prizes to be claimed.
But before he could act, Nephis spoke.
"I want to invoke the right of challenge."
Her voice was calm, casual even, as if she had just announced something trivial. The two guards blinked, their expressions shifting to confusion before morphing into mild surprise.
One of them scoffed. "You what?"
"I want to challenge one of the inhabitants of the castle. That is my right, isn't it?"
The guards stared at her, then at each other, before letting out dry chuckles. The amusement in their gazes was quickly overshadowed by something else - pity, perhaps.
"The right of challenge, huh…" the first guard muttered, shaking his head. "Damn shame. A waste, really."
The second guard sighed as if truly regretting what was about to happen. "Well, if that's what you want. You're free to throw your life away."
His gaze lingered on Nephis for a moment longer, before he turned and gestured for them to enter. Without another word, one of the guards moved from his post, and the trio was led inside the castle.
About half a minute later, Ray also appeared at the castle gates.
The guard, seeing him, wanted to vent out a bit of his earlier frustration, "Hal-"
But, before he could even finish this one word, Ray had already tossed over a soul shard and walked inside without even sparing a glance at the guard.
The guy outside could only look on and silently grit his teeth.
Meanwhile, Ray's mind began to wander, 'Hmmm, should I go to the gambling den first, looking for Kai? Nah, with how much I know about those guys, they are gonna start the show quite fast, probably. If they cause enough uproar, then Kai would be there anyway.'