of hair forcing Finch's head far enough backwards that he could see Jackyn's sinister expression forming on his face. Terror was visible in Finch's eyes, but quickly become more intense as a dagger started violently sawing into his neck.

Finch began choking up his own blood as he fiercely grabbed to Jackyn's wrist with urgency and desperation to break free. Jackyn did not dare cease now, he more violently dug his blade into Finch's throat, pulling apart the flesh even harder as the neck snapped. The body fell limp, as the Angel of Death pulled the severed head part from Finch's shoulders, letting the remaining skin holding it together stretch and tear, as he held the terror stricken corpse's head into the air with cold blooded triumph.

Jackyn panted heavily, through his blood stained face. Immediately he dropped the head to the ground, to flinch in pain at his infected shoulder. Collapsing to his knees, Jackyn held to his arm, his hand gripping the air in front of the wound channeling the blood inside to spit out a flood of it to his feet. Amongst the evacuated blood, was a segment of steaming greenish purple venom burning into the ground where it landed. He took a deep breath, letting the wound on his shoulder slowly regenerate into a fresh scar, and the vein returning to a more natural color.

Elsewhere in the vast tunnels of the deep roads, Nye was making her way back to where she suspected Solitaire and Minerva to be. However, the stress from what she had witnessed was still weighing heavy on her mind. She seemed to have gotten herself lost and felt like she was walking in circles.

"Did I take a wrong turn or something? Perhaps drawing up the map from memory wasn't the wisest strategy. I hope the others are fairing better than I." She muttered to herself, seeming somewhat anxious.

She trudged further along, completely alone without even lesser-fiends lingering around. It felt unsettling, all alone in that dark tunnel. In the past it wouldn't have even crossed her mind, but after becoming so accustomed to her friends, being alone felt rather unnerving. She continued on the path, feeling as if something was wrong. She had fought off monsters on her way here, but now just nothing. She felt safer before, but now, it was as if some unseen force was stalking her, and watching her every move. As she progressed further along, she finally noticed something. Laying on the ground in the upcoming tunnel chamber was Nikolai, surrounded by a dense fog. Her heart sank.

Nye immediately rushed over to Nikolai, her eyes dancing around the cavern to see if she could spot any sign of Jackyn or even Zyron. Nothing. Her eyes turned back to Nikolai with deep worry. "Nikolai?" She softly called his name, as she scooped up her small reaper companion into her arms.

His skull shifted suddenly, as his glowing red eye squinted open. "Mistress...?"

"What happened? Where's Jackyn and Zyron?" She inquired, holding back her clearly worried tone.

"Jackyn took off on his own... I remained with Zyron, but he could not understand my words of warning... We were attacked.... I have no idea where either of them are now." Nikolai shamefully admitted.

Nye seemed hesitant, but she eventually shifted back to her feet. Nikolai still rested weakly in her arms. "What about you? Are you alright, my friend?" She asked him, her tone soft.

"Don't worry, miss Nye. I'll be fine. Just tired." Nikolai continued to lay in her arms. "Shouldn't we look for the others now?" He asked in an exhausted tone.

It was clear he needed to rest further. Nye let her eyes look passed the vast fog hoping for some sign of where to go from there. "Aye." She quietly replied.

Nye continued to carry her friend, venturing through the mist in the direction she hoped would lead her to her beloved as well as her other companions. Her mind was thinking too heavily, losing some of her friends was a struggle to endure. She had to calm herself down, and not worry so heavily. Jackyn. He was her light in this darkness. Nye had to find him, she kept telling herself that.

"(Jackyn. Where are you? Please be safe.)" She continued to think, trying so hard to clear her mind so she could focus on the mission. She just had to.

She kept feeling like there was eyes watching her, or even following her as she tried to figure out where to go. Then the silence of her surroundings picked up a faint clicking of hooves, trotting closer and closer. Nye halted suddenly, as she noticed a silhouette of a rider upon a twisted black mare.

"Ehehehe....." Echoed the deranged laughter of the rider. "We found youuuuu.... We're so.... hungry..... Eheheheheheheheee..." She giggled, as the sound of her lips smacking together followed her breathy pause.

The fog around began to intensify, shifting into a deep red miasma, flooded with eyes staring intensely at Nye and her companion. The rider stood up on her mare, almost with frog-like posture. A wide crescent moon smile then became visible from behind the clouds of fog. This figure quickly leapt off her mount, scaling up the cavern wall like a spider, vanishing into the cloud of miasma.

Nye stood there, her eyes trying to locate this shadowy figure. "Nikolai...." She called softly, with her gaze shifting around urgently. "Niko. You need to wake up." She said firmly.

Several monstrous jaws formed from the miasma near the ceiling, expanding in Nye's direction to snap at her with gigantic fangs from their eyeless faces. She managed to leap out of the way, but fell lto the ground. Unable to wake up Nikolai, she watched as the monstrous forms continued to loom within the red mist.

"Please Niko..." She pleaded, before deciding she had no choice but to handle this on her own. Leaving Nikolai resting on the ground, she positioned herself over him to form her wraith-edge. "Show yourself!" Nye demanded, as she shouted into the engulfing miasma.

"Ehehehehe!!" Giggled the rider, while massive thorned tendrils slithered amongst the ever watchful eyes, like snakes coiling around their prey. "We've been watching you... eheheh... Do you know why?" The voice teased, in her chilling tone. "Our name is... Sclera... But the master wants you to know... Do you? Ehehehehe!!!!" The voice of Sclera continued to cackle, echoing around from seemingly no source location.

"You're not making any sense." Nye stated, keeping her grip firmly on her blade.

"Sclera... Sherry.... Famine... that's who we are... Doesn't it understand!? Sclera is... Sclera ... We... We are one of the four riders. Famine. The source of endless hunger... A constant need to feed on the flesh of the living... that is us. We are that. Sclera. Us. That is us. Does it not understand us!?" Sclera screamed, before deliriously going into a sadistic laughing state. "EHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!"

Nye quickly thought back to Jackyn when she found him with his leg removed. It wasn't cut by a blade, the wound was too careless. "It was you then. You're the one tore off Jack's leg. You devoured it!" Nye snapped.

"Eheheheheheehehe!!! We did. It was so tasty!" Sclera giggled, wildly, as she dove from the ceiling down at Nye like a starving cannibal ravenous for food.

She swung her long claws at Nye like daggers, clashing with the defensive position of Nye's wraith-edge. Sclera rushed Nye, slashing her bone-like tail her way with intense energy. Nye was thrusted backwards, crashing harshly into the cavern wall. Nye felt pain rush up her spine, only moments before she felt one of Sclera's black tentacles extend from her back to ensnare around Nye's neck to lift her into the air. Nye gripped her hands to it, releasing her sword to the ground below it vanished into smoke. She felt like she couldn't breath, opening her eyes to the blurry view of the oculus fiend grinning ear to ear like a deranged psychopath.