A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

(E/c) orbs left the fight and looked to the closed door. Or, it should've been closed. During the commotion, several spies had opened it and were now guarding it. Some of them looked rather pleased to be blocking her way while others seemed as though they wanted to kill her then and there. (F/n) stepped back closer to the stone wall, but her eyes shifted over to her dagger belt.

It was closer to the spies, but she needed something to defend herself with. Tarhuinn was still fighting Alpontus, and he couldn't handle any others at the moment. She made swift eye contact with the spies once more before she darted towards her daggers. This action set two of the spies in motion.

They ran towards her, and she dived for the blades. She hoped that she hadn't distracted Tarhuinn from his fight, for he needed to give it all of his focus. He couldn't concern himself with her now. Water splashed up around her, and blue feet soon came into close view. (F/n) couldn't stop herself, though; she was sliding through the water too fast.

In the process of reaching her left hand out for the belt, she collided with one of the spies. They were knocked over, but she was still able to grab the weapons. Quickly, she unsheathed one of the blades and looked to the fallen spy. The other one was nearing her, but she wasted no time. She leaned over the recovering spy and ended their life with one slice to their throat.

"You d*mned human!" she heard, and she looked up to see a spy reaching for her. Shifting the blade in her hand messily, both from the water and her fear at being captured, she didn't know what hold she had put it into; she just struck with the blade. It slashed across the spy's torso as a cry of pain left them. They took a step back, which gave her enough time to get to her feet.

She could see the other two spies charging towards her now, and she only had a few moments to finish off the one. Utilizing the spy's last moment of being stunned, she darted to them and finished them like the last spy. As they fell, she turned back to the other two. Her eyes did glance to Tarhuinn for a brief moment, and she saw that he was still fighting Alpontus. His movements had become more rushed, however.

He must have seen her run off, and he probably knew of her current state. His attacks were suffering from that knowledge, though. She would need to end her fight quickly, but, now, she wasn't working with just one opponent at a time.

Cursing, she watched one of the spies dart around her to her back while the other kept coming at her front. She had to create distance between at least one of them. (F/n) clenched her fists and ran at the one coming at her front. The spy was momentarily puzzled by her action, but they kept coming regardless.

Instead of aiming for their heart, neck or head, she leaped forward and aimed for their legs. She watched as their blade rose. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't kill her, which gave her a clear advantage. Before the blade could strike, they both impacted the water. (F/n)'s blade now rested in their right thigh.

Getting to her feet, she grabbed their ankles in the process. As she rose, she lifted their feet out of the water. A loud gasp parted from them before they tried to struggle out of her grip. The other spy had reached them now, but she couldn't let go of the one. Little options presented to her, she held onto the one still while she reached to the dresser behind her. She threw open one of the drawers and rested the spy's feet in there.

While the spy continued to try and get their feet back in the water, she retrieved her dagger and managed to avoid the spy's attempts at grabbing her. The other spy's blade was now coming towards her right shoulder. Her eyes widened, and she swiftly jumped to her left.

Footing lost, she slid across the stone floor while water obscured her vision. She felt the stone cut her skin along her arms and legs, but she couldn't dwell on it too much. (F/n) went to unsheathe another dagger, but her hair was grabbed roughly. The action caused her to emit a yelp as she was pulled up out of the water.

The spy lifted her high enough so that her feet weren't touching the ground or water. A smirk covered their lips, and she took note of the other spy recovering since their feet were back in the water. Her gaze focused on the one holding her, and a glare covered her expression. She speedily reached for her daggers, but the spy holding her stopped her. Their free hand had retrieved the belt and tossed it aside once more. "For a human, you're not too bad of a fighter, but you should've remained still. Now, their deaths will be added to your punishment."

Turning around and moving her with them, they displayed her clearly to Tarhuinn and their master. This resulted in the fight between the two kelremm coming to a halt. Both had a blade at the other's throat. Tarhuinn looked to be more out of breath than Alpontus, but his grip on his blade didn't lessen from it.

"Well, what do you intend to do? Your wife seems to be caught once more," Alpontus remarked in a far too casual voice as though he were expecting it all along. "Why don't you let me kill you swiftly? You're not responsible for the mage; she is. I just want to punish her. You can die and not worry about a thing. Is your wife really worth the pain of a slow death for you?"

Lowering his blade, Tarhuinn took a step back and relaxed his position. He appeared defeated. The recovering spy was now back on their feet, and her dagger had been removed. They stood next to her and chuckled. "Looks like your husband has finally realized his mistake in letting you leave your home." Her desire to plunge her dagger back into their thigh grew tenfold. She remained quiet, though, since she wondered what Tarhuinn was planning; he wouldn't give up so easily.

Doubt was tugging at her, however. They were both in a less than satisfactory position, but he always grew furious if anyone threatened her life, yet it appeared as though he had lost all hope. It seemed that he was abandoning their quest to get that life extension. Everything that they had worked for seemed to mean nothing to him presently. She forced herself not to think of that one possibility even though it kept up its attempts to crawl out of the shadows of her mind.

"So, you choose to die swiftly, then?" Alpontus asked, amused. "I don't blame you. No human is worth a horrendous death. Remove your pack and drop your blade."

Tarhuinn gave a simple nod. His free hand took off the pack from his back. He bent down to set it in the water, but she noticed his fingers unlatch it. They slipped into the pack rapidly. She blinked before she saw a blade flying towards them. It lodged itself into the chest of the spy holding her. Their grip slackened, and the other went to take their place, but another dagger took residence in their chest.

Before she could even process what had exactly happened, she was grabbed and thrown over Tarhuinn's left shoulder. A pained gasp left her lips due to the wound on her back, but her attention turned to an enraged Alpontus chasing after them. If she were a master of daggers, she would've removed one from Tarhuinn's belt and thrown it at the author, but her skills were nowhere near that. It would be better to not attack and save the weapon for later. She had no idea where Tarhuinn was going, though.

Entering the main room, they noticed Rocean's door opening. They only saw Amtoma for a moment before Tarhuinn rushed into another one of the rooms. Instantly, he slammed the door behind them. He set her down before he ran over to a nearby dresser and moved it to be in front of the door. Once it was secure, he turned to her and frowned at the scrapes on her. "We need to bandage those," he commented worryingly.

About to grab her, she stopped him. "We don't have time, Tarhuinn. Besides, you're exhausted, and we're about to have three skilled fights banging at that door. We need to hide somewhere or get out of here for now. It's too dangerous right now. I can tolerate these wounds for a little longer. They're not deep."

When he was about to argue, a groan was heard from across the room. They both froze. Tergii and Bimaa weren't supposed to be here, and the mage should've been gone too. Had they miscalculated that information? The authors' yells could be heard from the other side, which only caused the individual to shift more in their sleep. "We need to find a place quick," she whispered, her eyes already darting around the room for some location.

There were several windows in the space, and they seemed to share a similar idea. Tarhuinn grabbed her left hand and ran with her over to one. He undid the latch with his free hand and motioned her out first. She was about to protest, but they didn't have time for that. She climbed through the window and fell into a pile of snow. When she recovered herself, she noticed Tarhuinn outside as well and closing the window. Once it was shut, he helped her up before he went over to the water path in the area.

This path ran out from under a closed door and towards an opening on the other side. Around the path were the tall stone walls of the mountain. Sharp peaks were at the top but were occasionally hidden by the clouds. The climb upwards would be impossible given the smooth walls leading straight up. With these facts in mind, they headed for the opening. Soon enough, the authors and the previously sleeping individual would learn of where they went, so there was no time to spend standing around for too long.