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Luckily you’ve had plenty of experience running for your life as of late, so without even bothering to glare at the levitating layabouts you dash forward along the path as fast as your legs can take you!
Unfortunately you misjudge how much path you have left and crash into what you’re guessing is a safety railing at the edge of the catwalk. Hey, at least it’s sturdy! Your footing isn’t, however, and like a cup of coffee placed a tad too close to an office worker’s elbow, you go tumbling over the edge with one of your trademark panicked yelps!
It’s a good thing you have not one, but <span class="mu-i">TWO</span> mages to assist you–who else would mutter a halfhearted ‘careful…’ as you tumbled to your certain doom? Fortunately for you, your doom isn’t as certain as you think! Rolling down a series of slanted scaffolding like a marble, you’re eventually deposited at the bottom of the falls in a foul-smelling, but still breathing heap!
Face down in what you hope is a pile of mud and sewer driftwood, you feel something claw at your back and react accordingly with a swift kick at the offender’s groin! Sure, it was a little embarrassing when you realized you signed up for a Women’s Self-Defense Course way back when, but you can’t deny you learned some handy tools of the trade!
A weak gurgle rings out from your would-be assailant as you scurry to your feet! Whirling around to face them, you relax a bit when you’re greeted by a pair of glowing red–and clearly wincing–eyes!
Obber, you sigh, you really gotta come up with, like, a signal or something! The Sanguiphage is too busy cradling his sore crotch to weigh in.
“Oh good, you’re alive.”
Oti descends from above with the typical greeting before hovering in front of you like a Fairy Godmother… but while storybook Fairy Godmothers tend to be warm and kind, the Chytree regards you like one of those charred rat corpses you always used to find at the bottom of the fryers at work!
“IS HE DEAD?! QUICK, HARVEST HI-oh… you’re alive.”
You can see why these jerks got along. Wiping the gunk from your robe, you give them both a clearly forced grin. You’re good! Thanks for the help, by the way!
“We’re still beneath Umberal,” Oti retorts with a fresh glare, “Excessive magical use could alert the Constructs.”
“Or whatever’s skulking around down here.” Toppel adds as she leans against her beau, who quietly but firmly drifts away. “Speaking of skulkers, what are you doing here, Obber? I told you to scout.”
The Sanguiphage opens his toothy maw to respond, but his sister cuts him off with a sharp snap of her claw! “Too late, we’re already in the thick of it. And here I thought I’d my modifications actually made you <span class="mu-i">useful</span> for a change… can’t cook, can’t follow orders, can’t defeat a devil… a <span class="mu-i">beautiful</span>, elegant, <span class="mu-i">POWERFUL</span> devil--”
>CONTD.
