"…Do you really think that anyone other than you could have managed to get to us?" Fer said darkly. "You saw them, didn't you? It wasn't just the numbers… It was something else. They've got some strong guys hiding in the shadows."
"Tell me about that," Mane said. "How did you manage to get this far in the first place? As you said, those were no ordinary enemies. No ordinary skeletons. Even I struggled."
Fer seemed surprised when Mane mentioned that he struggled, but he brushed it off and answered his question anyway. "Well, there were a few at the entrance and we managed to beat them. Our teamwork is pretty good, you see. We thought that was probably all of them, but we decided to go into the cave anyway, hoping for treasure."
Ermos could not help giving a thumbs up at the mention of treasure. Everyone gave him an odd look for it, but he stood by his gesture and even added a smile into the mix.
The big-chested girl took over from there, apparently not trusting Fer with the important task of telling their story. "And then we came into that big chamber – I'm Cherry, by the way, Cherry Lang, it's an honour to meet you, sir! But in that big chamber, everything started to go wrong. There were hundreds of them, maybe even thousands. So, we had to run, we didn't have a choice. We ran down here, through the open gate… and then, for some reason, it closed behind us, as though the gods were looking out for us…"
"It closed behind you?" Mane repeated thoughtfully, noting how odd it was.
"Yup," Cherry agreed, "and then we came down here a little more, not really sure where we should be going… and then another pair of skeletons came out of nowhere. We were too tired to meet them properly and… Sunne," she choked up a little and bit her lip at the mention of his name, "he died buying us time."
"And then you have been trapped in here ever since, unable to open this gate, or the one behind you," Mane finished.
"That's right,��� Cherry confirmed. "It's been really awful," she confided, "I really thought I was going to die in here. I've never been so hungry in all my life. Thank you so much, Sir Mane," she said, dipping her head to him once more.
"You do not need to keep thanking me," Mane said in a deep voice, "it is my duty as a titled chevalar to see to the protection the people. Besides, this was not an endeavour I could have overcome without the aid of my comrades here," he gestured to Ermos and Pash.
Ermos sat up a little straighter, preparing for the praise that was about to come his way.
"…Are these guys your servants?" Fer asked, apparently unimpressed, and Ermos' shoulders slumped once more.
"No way am I this guy's servant," he muttered.
Mane looked at him and went quiet a few moments, scratching his head, struggling to find the right words. "No… I couldn't call them that. We met each other by coincidence, both of us had the intention of entering this cave, and so we decided to help each other out."
Ermos smiled, remembering just how they had decided.
"That's kind of weird," Fer said, looking at Ermos curiously. "Did you come to deal with the skeletons too? Are you a chevalar? Are you strong? What's your name?"
Pash took that opportunity to introduce Ermos as dramatically as he could. He deepened his voice to lower than his normal pitch and he slowly announced his name in a loud and commanding tone. "This is… Ermos… Windbreaker!"
The four students merely stared at him blankly, not recognizing the name at all. It did make Ermos a little depressed to see that, but it was to be expected.
"…Why don't you have any armour?" Fer asked.
"Because I'm that good," Ermos said back, puffing out his chest, hoping that confidence would be enough to impress him.
But the boy drew his face back and frowned as though he was the biggest weirdo in the world. Now that did upset Ermos. To be looked down on by a snot-nosed kid with such a stupid face.
"…Hey Mane, how about we leave this one behind?" He said, pointing to Fer.
Mane ignored him. "Ermos has won my respect," he said instead, forcing the children to look at him a little differently.
Ermos sighed and went back to playing with his new sword.
"Do excuse Bell, Sir Mane," Cherry said, filling in the silence, referring to the quiet girl that sat wordlessly against the cold iron gate, her hands clasped on her lap. "She's not able to speak, but she's definitely very thankful. Don't hold her lack of words against her."
Bell agreed with that by nodding, her bells in her hair tinkling as she did so. It seemed she really couldn't talk.
"It's quite alright," Mane said unfazed. "We'll-" a loud bang rang out, metal against stone, cutting off his words. It came from further down the tunnel and echoed off the rocky walls.
A look of alarm flashed between them. "The gate…" Pash was the first to say it. "Do you think it has been locked behind us again?"
"That… complicates matters," Mane said slowly.
The students were the most frightened. "…It'll be fine, won't it, Sir Mane? Even if it's closed, we'll still be able to get out, right?" Fer asked.
Mane held his silence though, not making promises that he did not know if he could fulfil. That didn't help at all with their panic, and their hands clenched in worry.