(Collab with [@Rune_Alchemist])

"Take the lead." She spoke to the shield bearer. "Whatever I did took its toll. I'll help if I can, but our priority should be finding some place where we can rest safely for a bit and consider our options. Keep a quick pace, but don't run head first into the mouth of some beast. I'll keep up, don't worry. I've...had worse."

Ruby glanced back at Isabella, raising an eyebrow at the last statement. She looked back ahead, though, deciding to let that rest for now. The past was a terrible, cruel thing. Besides, there were more pressing matters at hands, and getting out alive was all that really mattered right now. 

“Tell me if I’m going too fast, by the way.” With that, Ruby pulled up her shield off the floor, bracing both arms to keep the beast of a weapon in the air. She started slow, but as she got used to the weight of the weapon, she increased to a very brisk walk. 

Isabella kept pace with Ruby easily enough, though her weary body protested moving at a fast pace. For the most part, she ignored the others. In her mind, they had already been filed under various levels of useless. At least this one seemed tolerable, though. She had dragged her out of the collapsing hallway, so that was worth giving this new wisp a chance.

“I am fine.” Isabella replied once again. This was a pace she could keep up with. The feeling of something crawling on her leg registered in her mind again, and she frowned. Well, that was definitely not just some random piece of rubble or something. It was…crawling up her leg? Isabella shifted slightly, reaching into her robes with her free hand and moving around for a moment.

She did not expect what crawled out either. A centipede of all things.

“…huh.” The redhead seemed mildly surprised, but not all to disturbed by the creatures’ presence. If anything, a slight smile formed on her lips as she turned her head back to Ruby. The long, slightly larger than average bug crawled up her arm, towards her neck before disappearing back beneath her robes. Well then. Given the very, very, brief lull in combat perhaps some conversing was necessary. “So, what’s your name?”

Ruby closed her eyes for a moment, thinking. Isabella probably wouldn’t be able to see it from her angle, but the ruby in her chest flashed between six different colors at once, slowly rotating between them. “Well, uh…” [i]It’s really not complicated.[/i] “it’s a little bit complicated.” Ruby pushed her lips to the side of her face, continuing the pace while thinking about it. “Nera calls me Ruby, so I just took on that name. But honestly, I don’t remember. What about you, though? Do you remember?” Ruby glanced back at Isabella, then back to the shield and danger in front of them.

Isabella watched Ruby passively, seemingly studying her as she replied. Didn’t remember her name? Unfortunate. She at least had the ability and good fortune to remember her own name, even if nothing else concrete was remembered. “Isabella…I remember that much, at least.” The redhead replied simply. “Nothing else concrete…aside from a few names and places with no meaning at the moment.” Her eyes drifted towards the ground, her hand drifting over to the wound she had received from that creature and frowning in displeasure. She probably shouldn’t ask this, but she felt as though having another opinion might help clear her own thoughts. “Opinions on the others?”

“The others…?” Ruby said, glancing to make sure their destination was still clear. “I’ve only met you, though, some of them are pretty good looking, I must say! Honestly, I haven’t known anyone except Nera long enough to form a good, solid feeling… Speaking of which, what do you think about Nera?” Ruby glanced around, making a cursory note of where all of the current enemies were.

Hm. To be expected, she supposed. She hadn’t seen the other girl around, so she probably hadn’t seen the earlier…actions of a certain one of them. Good looking, though? The redhead had to question exactly what was attractive about any of them, but the thought vanished. When questioned about Nera, Isabella slowed her pace slightly. What did she think of the so-called Goddess? Isabella hadn’t given her much thought since they had awoken here in this ruin. “…I don’t trust her.” Isabella replied coolly. “She’s given us this…seemingly impossible task and we are so very ill equipped to deal with it. Doesn’t help that our allies seem to be battle hungry fools…but perhaps it’s because I’m ill-suited for such combat. I prefer books.” She commented quietly. “Just a feeling I get, at least.”

“Books, huh?” Ruby smiled. “I lose my focus around books, personally. I am one of those battle hungry fools, after all. It brings me joy. Other than that, though, I find it hard to not jump into every fight I see. That’s just who I was, I guess… Who I am now, I guess. Being alive is weird. Maybe it’s normal. It’s been a long time.. Or has it? We can talk about it later, probably.” Ruby shook her head, walking a little bit faster. She wasn’t too keen on the idea of being exploded by these handcannons. Ruby glanced at the eastern wing again, she and Isabella were making good progress. They were the majority of the way there.

“There is a difference between enjoying combat and actively seeking it and heading into a dangerous situation unprepared with little information to work with. That entire conflict could have been avoided, and being the fool I was decided to try and get everyone out alive. Should have just left with that Dwyn girl and left those fools to rot.” That was all she had to say on the matter, though. Not exactly a sparkling attitude to have, she supposed, but she wasn’t going to be changing her mind. Isabella fell silent after that, seemingly content with not discussing her opinion any further. Wasn’t like Ruby was going to be changing it easily, or at all in their current situation. “I doubt I could convince you to simply help me find an exit to this place and leave these fools behind? I have no desire to die again. It was painful enough the first time.”

Now Ruby was brimming with questions. Those could wait, though. “Well, we could exit…” Ruby looked behind her at the crumbling staircase as bullets ricocheted off of it every once in a while, exploding brilliantly in the dim room. “...if the only nearby staircase wasn’t impossible to climb.” The first time, huh… so she remembers that much? I’m not sure if she’s lucky or not…  “Let’s go down the only safe path for now; you don’t need to convince me. I’ll get you out of here safely, with or without the fools. I promise.” In the next few seconds, there were at the threshold to the eastern hallway. Faint moaning and loud conversation echoed out from within. Ruby pressed her back to the wall just outside the entrance, lowering her shield in front of her. “After you, I suppose… I’ll stay out here and help anyone who needs it, I think. I’m not really certain. That, however, is something you could convince me about.”

Isabella simply frowned lightly. Were those stairs the exit? That made things difficult if they were…but there was surely some other way out of this ruin. “The one with the giant anchor? He woke these unfortunate blighted souls when they were asleep when we could have likely walked right on through without so much as a scratch.” That was all Isabella had to say before making her way into the eastern hallway, thankful for the cover of darkness. She held her blade at the ready, but kept moving at a reasonable pace.

Maybe if she was swift and silent enough, she could lose the others and find her way out of this mess.