[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/hvuUP9f.png[/img][/center]

At the sight of the shimmering orb, Rose laughed in relief. A literal glimmer of hope in the darkness.

[color=ff4f61]"Good to see you again,"[/color] she said, watching her best friend's soul disappear into the skate. [color=ff4f61]"You never could resist motor skates, could you? Hey, when you get your body back, how about we have another motor skating competition?"[/color]

She looked up at the cracked, flaking ceiling. [color=ff4f61]"Ruski, quick, if you can get through, there's another one here for you too!"[/color] She bit her lip, her good eye flicking around the hallway. If there was a severed soul behind each door, there was no way she could get them all out at once. [color=ff4f61]"Everyone, I'll tell the other Ze about this place right away. We'll get you out, each one of you."[/color]

Ruskali, however, didn't seem to acknowledge her words, focused on something else entirely. [color=ff4f61]"Ruski...?"[/color] His shouting gave way to eerie silence, accompanied by stillness. It was as if time had stopped all around Rose. All she could hear was her own breath, her own heartbeat.

Until a whisper pierced through the quiet.

An inhuman one. Right behind her.

Rose yelped, grasping wildly at the creature that clung to her. [color=ff4f61]"Gahhh! When the fuck did I turn into a climbing frame for you guys?"[/color] The frozen scene roared back into motion, the hallway collapsing in a cloud of dust and violet smoke. Instinct kicked in. She shot a beam of light into the billowing mass, crying out as the recoil slammed her fist into her already sore shoulder. A good idea, or another stupid one? She couldn't stick around to find out. All she could do was run, despite the screams that rose up with the smoke.

[color=ff4f61]"Leave them alone, you bastards!"[/color] Her yell came out as a frantic sob. With her arm around the satchel, she rushed down the stairs, misjudging the last few with her limited depth perception and tumbling in a heap. The gunblade clattered across the floor.

[color=ff4f61]"Archer!"[/color] she yelled into the unresponsive earpiece, rolling to try to dislodge the Nox, reaching for Thorn even as pain flared down her arm. [color=ff4f61]"Cedar! Listener, Iris, Fluke, can you hear me?"[/color]