All of them gathered by the edge. Even Ramu looked down despite the fact he knew they probably won’t be able to see what happened. The walls of the chasm were like an upward rushing river frozen in time. If Tisha fell below one of the wave like arches there was no way they could see her. Neeas also joined after he stopped laughing. In that moment there was silence. Silence that could have been even comforting for Mntui after so many things happening so fast. The only problem was what caused the silence.

She looked up glancing over everyone beside her. She wanted to see some reaction. A reaction other that idle gawking. Yet the only response was even more frightening. As Ramu straightened his back it was clear he thought nothing more of the recent happening that it was all within a limits of an ordinary day. He shooed the rest a group a bit back stating:

“You don’t have to try all at once, you can also line up.”

Mntui was the last to stay closest to the pillars.

“You are not going to check what happened to her?” she asked as the robust man arrived near him.

“Oh, she is not dead, if that’s what you are worried about. The pit is shallower than it looks, she probably only broke a few bones.”

“So what? You are just gonna leave here there? Do we all suppose to climb out from there on are own when we fall?” Mntui was genuinely shocked at the other’s lack of concern.

Ramu smiled at the thought.

“It would make me proud if you all could. But I really don’t see a chance just yet. That means she’ll either tries to find an other way out or have to wait until I send someone down there to get her.”

“So why don’t you?” all of a sudden she almost shouted in frustration.

“She could be hurt, right? She could be lost… There is this one thing though you newborn have to learn among many things. You have to get familiar with the pain. As you can take my words as truth for you’ll have to endure a lot of it in the future. If you treat it as something to surprise you, you’ll be dead and soon.”

As Ramu turned his attention to the others Neeas gulped just before taking the chance to talk.

“Is there any way that we can practice here? Like first? Not just jump after dear broken-jug?”

“How about I punch you in the face and you try avoid it?” Ghashek interrupted gritting teeth like a wild beast.

“Well, if that works for you…” Ramu shrugged.

Ghashek cracked his knuckles, grinning menacingly his eyes started smoldering threatening red. He walked slowly towards Neeas while his prey tried to stay away him.

“What, now you want to run away like a scared rabbit? Coward.”

“No, I am not!” Neeas stopped suddenly. Which made his new found sparing partner’s smile even wider before the first punch was laid.

Mntui found herself dosing out again. In the background she could hear the fight starting and Re’am talking about something with their instructor but the words blurred out quickly. She was still trying to find a way to go down to find Tisha. Well, a way beyond the obvious. She searched the cavern with her eyes for clues. Isn’t that what she was suppose to do? She grimaced with discomfort thinking back on what Ramu said about pain.

‘… pain…’ first she mistook the word for one of her own thoughts. But only until she started to hear faint sobbing coming from somewhere. She looked around trying to find the source and once again her gaze got locked with Hoot-Hoot staring back.

‘It burns… somebody help…’ came the terrified plea as carried by wind. In that moment the cavern disappeared from Mntui’s sight giving place to a scene of a burning village. The wooden houses all around were ablaze just as the forest next to. As she ran through the streets many laid dead on the ground. If it wasn’t a horrifying thought on it’s own some of the dead was beyond recognition twisted or torn into pieces by foul magic.

There was blinding flash. It rushed towards her just from the corner of her eye. She instinctively tried to avoid it even if she didn’t have much chance. For a moment she thought she did the impossible. Until she saw the gentle figure standing beside her. It was Miala, the apprentice of the town’s head-shaman. Her fine blonde hair was tainted by ashes and mud. How come she could see her willowy figure but not her face? Her jewelry crafted from wood and pearls, her bright red clothes with the dazzling yellow swirls on it… Even the narrow dagger decorated with shiny colourful stones… it all stood out but not her face.

“Run” the voice coming from her seemed all but a whisper yet it was clear. And as more and more of the dread tall figures in silken clothes came out of the smoke she did just that. They attacked all at once. It would have been even beautiful how the diverted spells exploded one after the other in a sequence of colourful play of lights if their original aim wasn’t to kill. The air around them heated up even more to unthinkable point. It was hard to breathe even before, now the smoke started to choke her almost unbearably. The only reason she was still alive was due to Miala and the spirits’ blessing. Her counter-spell did not let any of them hit her. But even that would not last forever.

It was at this point she glimpsed back seeing the shaman’s apprentice turn her own ritual dagger on her own. As she craved the runes in to her own skin suddenly something felt different. The temperature changed as if a blizzard was rushing in. And as she continued to run suddenly she sensed terrifying presence trying to pull her back. And if not physically then attempting to rip her soul out.

She started to scream as the pain was so horrible she never thought such thing was possible.

Mntui pressed her hands to her head. Collapsing on one of her knees she fought for the will to wake up.

“Hoot-Hoot stop!” she shouted on the top of her lungs finally able to open her eyes just to see everyone else was looking at her. Was she screaming in real life too moments before, she wondered.

With deciding on an answer “probably” she stood up. Anger boiled up inside her and it was not Hoot-Hoot she wanted to shout at.

“By the Graceful Tiger…” she grunted and walked towards the edge of the pit where it seemed to have a slope.