Нэйко
After a good rest, Stephanie, Eugene, Botora, Odlid, Rgoktes, Oem, Macarena, Manka, Izea, Shevretta, Shani, and Murdera set off into the Unknown-1. They traverse a long, narrow, and thin tunnel, at the end of which they find themselves in the middle of a very spacious open area strewn with numerous skeletons — human and otherwise.
- Aha! I know what this is! - Exclaimed Odlid. - Now we'll relax, and then they'll rise from the dead and juuust pounce on us! In that case, all we need to do is not relax!
- Idiot... - Murdera hissed through her teeth.
- Let's just move forward and leave this place behind. - Izea's suggestion was reasonable, but soon the party ran into a problem — despite a passage ahead being visible, no one could walk through it, as if some great force was blocking their advance.
- Well, nothing to be done. - Botora concluded, addressing Stephanie. - My lady, shall we turn back?
That too was a reasonable suggestion, but it also met with no success — the path back was unavailable for the same reason.
Several hours pass in futile attempts to find a way out, and the situation only changes when Rgoktes catches sight of a stone on which words were carved in Tezothian script with uneven handwriting:
"The amber belly inherits the eye, half shall pass beyond, or all shall be devoured."
- Quite straightforward. - Said the Knight of the Rusting Soul calmly. - This place demands sacrifices, and half of us will have to remain here forever. - When Eugene freed his ominous sword from its sheath, the common warriors backed away — everyone present knew he was not inclined toward that kind of humor and was unpredictable. Only the Knight of the Wind met his gaze. - We have several options for how to do this. We could fight in teams — I cannot recommend that option, given that one of the sacrifices could be a Knight. You and I can identify the most useful members of the team and cull all the rest. Or we can let the warriors decide their fate among themselves. The choice is yours.
— This is completely!.. — Stephanie's profanity echoed across the entire skeleton-strewn area, and those were far from the words people would expect to hear from a lady of the Valentine family.
The Knight of the Wind was literally torn apart from within by what was happening. She didn't want to believe it, wanted to challenge what was occurring and try to achieve an option where half the participants go forward and the other half returns back. But common sense and the experience of failed attempts to leave the anomaly together made it clear that such a proposal would paint her in an even worse light.
In the end, she cut off her emotions and switched on cold calculation. Leaving together was not going to happen. Holding a tournament among the fighters was foolish and pointless. What remained was choosing those who could truly prove most useful in battle. This was not so much Stephanie's desire as it was an attempt to engage the remnants of common sense in this madhouse.
— I don't want to fight anyone or have our people battle among themselves. But I definitely think we should take Odlid, Rgoktes, Macarena, and Manka with us. They seem to me to be the most effective warriors.
Stephanie also added that it would be proper for Eugene, as a member of the Grimm family, to give his word to those who would remain that their families, especially close relatives under their care, would receive proper compensation and provisions. After all, the losses promised to be irreparable.
