"Alright, we accept it. What do we need to do?"

  "Just follow us, it's simple." The woman said, a grin on her face.

  "And what about our friend? Can we at least heal him?"

  The man named Moritz pondered for a moment, and even Bianka looked at him, as she waited for some kind of instruction.

  "You can heal him. But you only have a minute to do so, no more or less."

  Karina didn't even wait for him to finish the sentence. She ran to where Wren lay, and the first thing she did was feel his pulse.

  "May, please help me. You know..." Karina said, but stopped mid-sentence. She shouldn't forget the enemies right in front of her, as they observed and learned. No, she wouldn't give them more information than they already had.

  May understood her friend, even without words. So, she got closer to Karina and Wren. The girl put one of her hands on Wren's forehead. May placed her other hand above Karina's hand. And she was able to feel the magical flow that went from her friend to Wren. It mixed in with his flow, and it healed him from the inside to the outside. It was delicate, and even though Karina would deny being good at it, she definitely had a natural talent.

  Moritz spoke once again.

  "That's it. a minute, as I had promised. In fact, I shouldn't even let you heal, your friend, he learned an important lesson. But like a good servant, I must put the wishes of the Master above my own."

  "You're too serious, Moritz. A little suffering would be okay, I bet the Master wouldn't mind it. No, he wouldn't mind even a little."

  "You can't be so sure, Bianka. What's inside the Master's mind is none of your business. We should follow as he asked us to."

  Bianka wasn't very happy with the discussion, but as Karina and May had noticed, she seemed to respect Moritz. Or at least, she was scared of him.

  "Follow us, please. I'm sure you two won't like being pulled by the hair." Moritz said, his deep voice echoed through the hall.

  Karina supported Wren on her shoulders. The man was still a little dizzy from the attack. May knew that healing wasn't that fast. The girl helped her friend as they carried the man across the halls.

  Moritz walked fast and demanded that the girls keep the rhythm at each turn. The emptiness of the place didn't go unnoticed by May.

  "Can we at least know where we're going?"

  "I don't think this is necessary, as you're about to discover."

  "I bet you won't like it. Yeah, I'm sure you won't like it. I hope you hate it. That will be so much more fun." Bianka said, and she jumped and swirled across the hall.

  The group walked past all of the hotel sections, and they reached the gaming room, which was as empty as the other places. It was definitely an odd sight.

  May grabbed Karina's hand; her friend was shaking. It was better that they remained silent in front of the enemy, but it was also important to keep calm. The magic flowed better if a witch kept her composure.

  As soon as they crossed the gaming room, they reached the room Karina had explored by herself before. Now it was empty, and at the back of the room, an old wooden door adorned the wall. Both Moritz and Bianka touched the door and pushed it. With a creak, the door opened, and an ominous gust of air came from the inside.

  "Please, follow us inside."

  ***

  The place was completely dark, to the point that Karina and May couldn't even see two palms ahead of them. There was a big descent carved with sparse steps into the underground. At this point, Moritz and Bianka, as an opposite to how they acted before, they walked in silence. That made the descent even chilling.

  Karina grabbed May's hand, across Wren's shoulder, a form of comfort, to herself and her friend. If anything in that situation could be called comforting.

  Wren was now completely awake, and he tried to walk by himself. After a few steps, it became clear that the task wouldn't be possible. So, he resigned to being helped by his two friends. He too observed the darkness around, even if he couldn't see anything either.

  In the faces of the trio, the doubt was clear. To which place would these stairs lead? And how something so big could be hidden underneath the Casino? But they didn't dare to ask questions, as friendliness wouldn't be the first choice of words to describe their company. Instead, they accepted their fate, not without crafting in silence plans to escape.

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  Not Wren, and neither the girls could tell when. Or whether their eyes had become accustomed to the dark. But from a certain point on, the visibility improved. Karina saw the differences in the stone and how they adorned the walls. May perceived the roughness of the steps, mixed styles that crossed ancient and destroyed.

  "I guess it's fair to ask where we're going, at least after a few minutes of silence..." Wren asked. May noticed how he tried to sound as casual as possible.

  "I guess it's fair to say you're not in condition to demand anything," Moritz answered, dryly, and he cut short any conversation that might have started. The curious thing was that Bianka, who was before so eager to speak, agreed with her partner. The strange girl walked in silence, ahead of the group.

  After what seemed to be forever, the group found themselves in a big chamber. It was so big that they couldn't see the ceiling. Their steps echoed through the whole place. Wren saw that the ground became flat and tried to walk again, this time successfully.

  "Thanks for helping me, K, May." He stated.

  Bianka spun on her own heels. Her face was visible even in the dark of the place. Her grin was as wide as possible, and in her eyes, the flick of something ominous.

  "We're finally here. That's as far as our little tour can go." She looked at Moritz. "You spoiled all my fun. Let me be the one to explain now."

  "Do as you please, woman. I'm grateful I won't have to deal with you much longer."

  "Deep down, you know you love me," Bianka said, her pitch high, which made the words sound almost inhuman. "But before you interrupt me and take control again... Alright, we're here! Please welcome! You're about to descend to hell itself!"

  "You should explain properly to our guests, woman. Or should I take this role again?"

  "No, I'm fine, thank you. This is the only road that leads to Master. He will be waiting for you, at the deepest here."

  "Well, that seems easy. All that mystery for us to go down some steps. I take it any time." Wren said, and Bianka laughed hysterically.

  "Well, if you think it's that easy, you should take a good look!" The woman clapped her hands. The clap was so strong that a force was propelled to all sides. Obsidian flames lit up the whole place, and so Karina, May, and Wren distinguished better where they were.

  It was as big as they had imagined before, and it resembled a cathedral. In front of them, a hole so large they couldn't see the borders on the other side. Wren got closer to the hole and tried to look below. There, carved in the stone, not only were there steps, but also big buildings. They all looked ancient, and to the man, they appeared to be like little castles, the ones people would see in illustrations.

  "You should see your expression... I love it! Are you that surprised? And I thought you couldn't be underestimating us more!" Bianka said mid-laugh. "But you're probably thinking to yourself that it's still easy, just go down some steps. Across some mysterious places, right? Oh, little Wren, poor little Wren. What if I told each of the temples you see from here is guarded by one of the disciples? The Master is protected, you see, silly little boy. And the only way to get to where he is, it’s crossing this whole place!"

  The woman apparently wanted to say more, but Moritz took her arm. The bigger man pulled Bianka backward. And the woman laughed and laughed. Her eyes locked with Wren as she spoke:

  "But you won't miss me for too long, Wren. I'll be sure to wait for you at the temple I guard, well, at least if you get there. By the way, I wouldn't advise jumping. Those who aren't under the Master's protection can end up in... mysterious places."

  Moritz and Bianka jumped down the hole, and they disappeared into its darkness. Wren only looked down, baffled by the scene he saw.

  The obsidian lights flickered in the room, and they cast shadows that danced. Karina watched them.

  "Do you think we can go back to where we came, May?"

  "They wouldn't leave us here alone if we could. No, the only place we can go is down there. But we shouldn't go without a plan."

  Wren still looked at the hole, and he threw a little pebble. He tried to listen to the sound it would make when it hit the ground. But that sound never came. He turned back to Karina and May, and he said:

  "She's right, K. There's no other way, and we need a plan." Wren's face scrunched. "I was so weak, I couldn't do anything. If that's what is waiting for us... We might be doomed."

  "That's the right thing to do. If this is the end of our mission, we should go down fighting. If this is the end of our paths as hunters, may the gods welcome us in whatever is after that."

  "Yeah, let's give them a fight, K. You're right, even in the face of everything, we should be our best."

  May looked at both of her friends. In the dim obsidian light, they looked like ghosts. But their resolutions shone through.

  "Well, there must be something we can do. I don't know, to get stronger. You didn't use your gun, Wren. Maybe that will help in the fights to come."

  "Yeah, maybe. I don't know, May. What are those temples anyway, and the people guarding them? And how the hell is everything hidden under the Casino?"

  "I don't think this is only the underground portion of the Casino. I mean, look around. No, this is under a good portion of the city. And I'm only taking into consideration what we can see. As far as we know, it could be even bigger."

  "There's something else," Karina said, a little unsure. "Aren't you guys feeling the magical energy here? It's a little bizarre, I don't know how to explain it."

  "Now that you say it, it's odd for sure. I'm amazed that we didn't feel it when we were above. I ask myself What the hell is this place?"

  "I'm asking the same thing, Wren. And the people here, like the two who brought us here. Who are they? This Master they're talking about, I don't know."

  "Well, there's only one way to discover it."

  "I know. It's just that I don't like doing it blindly. This is their plan. I'm sure there's something dark about getting there. Something they're not talking about."

  "It's not like we have other options, right? And we're not any better."

  "You're right," May said, resigned. For the first time, she walked to the edge of the hole and looked down. The castles carved in the stone carried a maleficent aura. It was chilling, and the cold wind that came from somewhere down only enhanced the feeling.

  "Wren, May, there's something we can do. You will probably think it's insane, considering everything. But I guess it might be the best way to maximize our chances." Karina said, and she looked closely at both of her friends. "There might come fights in which one of us will be left behind. The other two must go on and trust the one behind. I don't know why, but this is something I feel."