Wren looked at the cohort taking time to catch their breath well not all of them, Nephis and Saint were still fighting the undying skeletons that immediately rose after Wren's last attack.
'Great, first those undying skeletons and then this old dying bridge.'
Sighing he deactivated his Aspect, his eyes returning to their original grey colour. Catching his breath a little, he quickly dashed toward the Changing Star, after all it would be imprudent for a butler to leave his Lady to save his own life although he didn't.
Wren noticed another person dashing towards Nephis and Saint, it was none other than Wren's treacherous friend, Sunny. Reaching almost at the same time, they brandished their blades and dispatched a couple of skeletons.
Sunny briefly turned to Nephis and said:
"Retreat to the bridge. We will hold them off!"
Her eyes shone with white flames through the visor of the Starlight Legion Armor's helmet. A moment later, he heard a hoarse voice:
"Are you sure?"
Wren dodged, claws and teeth of a menacing monster, he kicked the monster on it's leg bones, using the opportunity Sunny sliced the wretched thing in two. Sunny then yelled:
"Yes! But…"
Another undead creature fell to the Midnight Shard.
"...when you get to the other side, you need to destroy the supports of the bridge. Do you understand?"
Changing Star hesitated, but before she could have said anything, Wren suddenly picked her up from her leg and threw her, in midst of that he whispered few words to her:
"Sorry in advance, but we don't have time so do whatever he says I will be there."
That was all Nephis had heard before flying few meters away, back to the other members. Making her descent graceful, she coughed a little breaking the stunned looks of the cohort except for Cassie who is blind.
Turning his head to Sunny, Wren asked while slicing the few old bones:
"So, How do we get there?"
Sunny who was using Saint as meat shield or rather a stone shield?, appeared from her behind striking few skeletons and said:
"Well, what else we can do? Just jump."
Wren was stunned, and this had gave one of the skeletons a chance to attack him. The murderous skeleton bared it's teeth on Wren's forearm. Wren's hand shot forward grabbing the skeleton by it's skull, crushing it with his fearsome grip sending bone splinters on the ground.
Wren however wasn't bleeding after the attack, a smile was plastered on his face, his eyes were in heterochromia of pitch black and grey. He really like Sunny's idea, so much that his control on his Aspect was lost for some time.
'Ah! This would be so much fun.'
The onslaught didn't matter to Wren now, for Sunny it did though. Slicing the bones of the undying skeleton creatures, and now turn into a direct slaughter. Each skeleton, that fall was replaced by another but it didn't matter the dance of the darkness and shadows together had pierced through every obstacle that came in their way.
While Sunny, Wren and Saint were stopping the horde, the cohort had managed to cross the bridge. In an instant, loud rattle followed by a thunderous boom informed them that the bridge had been brought down.
Now, there was nothing connecting the two sides of the terrifying chasm. They were left alone against the horde of immortal monsters, with no way to retreat.
'Finally, I can pull an epic entrance.'
Wren, was still excited, very much in fact to the point it turn a little unhealthy for his mind. He wasn't even aware that he is using his Aspect with inefficient control. Turning his back along with Sunny, they dashed to the edge while Saint covered their back for a split second before retiring to Sunny's soul sea.
With no obstacles to slow them down anymore, the flood of skeletons lunged forward. They were just a meter or two behind them, stretching their deadly claws to tear both Sunny and Wren apart.
Approaching the abyssal chasm, both Sunny and Wren glanced at each other and nodded.
...And, without pausing even for a second, they jumped off the edge.
***
'Crap!'
Jumping into the bottomless dark abyss, Sunny briefly regretted every decision he had ever made in his life.
How did he end up in this situation? Where did he go wrong?
'Damn [Fated].'
"Hey you asshole!, why did you come up with such idea?"
Sunny looked up to the person whose leg he had grabbed to save his skin, when the prowling thorn couldn't bite the walls of the chasm. To save himself, he tried to grab the nonexistent gaps in the wall, only to find Wren while sliding down.
"I didn't know it would end this bad."
Sunny replied, tightly grabbing Wren's legs even though it was hurting his scorched hands, the blood weave and mark of abyss worked on the healing. Wren meanwhile was cursing himself and Sunny, well mostly himself after all he was the one who stupidly agreed to follow Sunny's crazy plan due to his sudden excitement.
'Ugh, that shitty attribute of his, it even dragged me along.'
Looking upwards he used all of his mental strength to pull him and Sunny upwards through commanding the rope dart made up of darkness. The rope was clinging on it his only arm like a snake, coiling around never letting it go away from it's grip.
Slowly moving upwards, both Sunny and Wren well mostly Wren saw five pale faces hovered above the edge of the cliff. On them were written expressions of horror, shock, and astonishment.
'They look so pale, might give Sunny a competition.'
To the cohort, their desperate trick must have looked like… simple suicide, though it was indeed a way to die by your own two... one hand. Shaking his leg a bit, gesturing Sunny to say something.
"Hey, idiots! We're down here!"
Slowly, four of the five faces turned to look straight down. Their expressions were rather comical.
Cassie simply tilted her head.
...But her expression was priceless as well.
Wren concentrated more to increase the speed, bleeding a little from his nose. By that time Sunny's hand were healed, using Wren as a support he climbed up, putting his leg on his shoulder then grabbing the black rope climbing using it.
Soon, they were over the edge of the cliff. Both of them were exhausted and sprawled on the cold ground, while breathing heavily.
The rest of the cohort just stared at them.
"...What?"
Effie was the first to speak:
"Uh… glad you both are alive, Sunny. But also… what the hell? How did you guys do that?"
He simply threw her the kunai. Once the huntress bent down to pick it up, Sunny pulled on the invisible string and made the dagger fly back into his hand.
"Oh, that? That was a piece of cake. Nothing that a knife and a piece of string can't solve... more or less."
He decided to omit the fact that he had almost soiled his pants in the few short moments between jumping off the edge of the chasm and was also unsuccessful in embedding the Prowling Thorn into the rocks on the other side of it.
Effie blinked a couple of times, then slowly straightened herself up.
"...Cool Memory. Where did you get it?"
Sunny dismissed the kunai and tiredly waved his hand.
"You know those porcupine monsters back in the city? I got it off one of those."
With that, the others left him alone. They were all hurt and dead tired, too. Everyone needed to rest and patch up their wounds. Walking back to Wren, who was sitting idly staring at the other side. Sunny sat beside him, Wren glanced at him with a clear annoyed expression.
"Wow, Sunny not just you used me as a support! but also took my credit of saving our asses down there?"
Sunny laughed, his expression confused Wren a little.
"Ah, I am sorry."
Wren was now more annoyed due to Sunny's sudden laughter.
"What so funny?"
Sunny didn't replied, he just laughed a little and went back to the cohort. Meanwhile, Wren was more confused.
'Has that glutton, affected his mind?'
Sunny was still laughing, silently in his mind.
'He looks so funny, when he is annoyed it's like seeing another Nephis.'
Sunny was too exhausted, his body was healing thanks to the blood weave and mark of abyss. He decided to take a small break, now lying on the cold ground, his eyes closed.
Some time later, he heard a shuffling sound and looked up to see Kai sitting down near him. The charming archer looked way too pretty and put together for a person who had just lived through the same mayhem as them, but Sunny was starting to suspect that this infuriating trait was just something he would have to come to terms with.
Maybe Kai had some weird Attribute that made him look good no matter the circumstance.
Looking at the beautiful young man, Sunny sighed and said:
"Hey, Night. How are you doing?"
Kai scratched the back of his head and answered:
"Ah... alright, I guess. That was intense back there, huh?"
Sunny nodded.
"Yeah. So… what's up?"
The charming archer hesitated for a bit.
"Nothing, really. I just wanted to say three things to you."
'What a strange guy.'
"Oh? Alright, go on."
Kai looked at him thoughtfully and said:
"Well, first of all, I now fully understand what you meant when you said that you are crazy. Because that jump of yours and Wren… that was really crazy!"
Sunny chuckled.
"I guess so. I'm alive, though, aren't I?"
The archer gave him a nod and smiled.
"Another thing I wanted to say is that I also understood how you managed to survive all those months in the ruins. Your swordsmanship… I've never seen anything like it. I think that very few people in the Dark City would survive a clash against you. So, everything makes more sense now."
Sunny didn't know how to feel about that praise. On one hand, it was nice to be acknowledged for something he worked so hard on. On the other hand, he still preferred being considered a cowardly weakling.
It made killing fools far easier.
He shrugged.
"Thanks, I guess. What is the third thing?"
Kai was silent for a long time, as though trying to find the right words. Finally, he shook his head and cautiously said:
"Right. About that jump of yours… you do remember that I can fly, right? So I could have carried you over the chasm, no problem. So, uh… why did you do it?"
Sunny stared at him silently for a while, an inexorable expression on his face.
'...Goddamit.'
To be honest, in the chaos of it all, he did forget about this crucial detail.
After a long stretch of awkward silence, Sunny opened his mouth and said in a flat tone:
"Oh, you know. It just seemed like a good idea at the moment."
Kai blinked and gave him a strange look.
"A… a good idea?"
Sunny cleared his throat, then glared at the charming young man.
"It worked, didn't it? So… let's not talk about it again... ever. Okay?"
Kai stared at Sunny, leaving a space for silence to enter though it didn't because Wren had joined the conversation.
"Yeah, there is no need to worry about that Sir Kai."
This was the first time Kai had engaged into a conversation with the famous butler of Changing Star. In Kai perspective Wren appeared, quite noble and cold, he could not clearly judge his character as there were very few things about him in the outer settlement.
It was going to be a long conversation.