The burdens of battle soon began to weigh heavy on Elena's shoulders, her blades not rising with as much verve as they had when the duel first began. Sweat speckled her face, and her breathes came in heavier gulps as she ducked out of the way of the impressive Templar's charges. Having been used to relying on silent, stealthy kills for so long, her fitness for drawn out combat against such a strong opponent was not at its peak. 

Her fatigue was showing, and she could see in her opponent's eye that he knew she was growing exhausted. The best she could do was keep up her pace and hope for an opening to deliver a blow hard enough to allow for escape, but the Templar exploited her first. His shove made her falter, a position she had not many times found herself in. Preparing herself for what she expected to be an execution blow, Elena was surprised to find that the ground had begun to quake. An event that under normal circumstances would cause one to lose their footing, but in this instance it gave her enough of a shock to keep her upright. 

The crackling and crunching of the walls and rocks around them meant only one thing: it was time to go. A large piece of stone fell from its previous place high above the two duelers and landed dangerously close, Elena only just able to roll out of the way after regaining her feet beneath her. Her eyes darted ahead to see Alessandro lying on the ground, the entire cavern falling in around all of them. The Templar with whom she thought would've surely taken the opportunity to kill her was already dashing ahead, towards his fallen comrade and towards the Apple, which now lie between the two fallen apprentices. 

Elena propelled herself forward, dodging the rocks as they fell, seeking to squash her beneath their heavy weight. Alessandro had fallen into somewhat of a trance, lying on the ground staring at the Apple as it slowly rolled away on the quaking ground. Its glowing presence captured his attention, drawing it away from the wound in his side that seeped crimson blood from the blade of the Templar. As Elena reached him, his eyes did not leave the Piece to find hers. 

"Elena, the Apple..."

Elena's eyes searched for the Piece of Eden, which was still the center of the Templar's attention as well. By now, it had become to dangerous to retrieve, lest they risk their lives. 

"Alessandro, we're no good to the Brotherhood if we're dead! Now, come!" Elena pulled Alessandro to his feet, shoving him towards the gate as the place continued to crumble. Looking back over her shoulder, she wondered if she could possibly grab the Apple and still make it to the gate before everything caved in. Chancing the Templars retrieving it was something she did not want to risk. 

Before the thought finished crossing her mind, a large crevice opened up in the ground behind them as the ground shook with violence. Falling into its depths went the Apple, along with the debris of rock and the water from the surrounding lake. 

Turning back towards the gate, Elena passed a glance at the Templars, then charged at Alessandro, pressing him forward. 

"Go! Go now!" 

It was almost as if they were racing, each trying to force their entranced companions towards the sanctuary of the exit gate. Just as the great hall gave a mighty groan and a savage quake, the two pairs burst through the gate as the last of the walls caved in behind them. A cloud of dust followed their exit through the gate, marking the end of the great hall in which the Piece of Eden was trapped within. The catacombs, however, remained unmoved. At least for now.