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Sovereign was not expecting that, not at all. Her powers were limitless, Anniken, or Justice, had a whole range of spells at their disposal which was useful in pretty much all situations. He watched as she stood her ground against the evil, her eyes radiant from this divine power as it encapsulated the group like a bubble. 

Although the regular effect of this spell may have been for different purposes, the sheer light and magic was enough to shield them all. The four of them safe within this small zone, as black magic pounded against it and hissed when it got too close. It would reel back, yet not completely. It was persistent, lingering around them like a nasty odour. 

"It's working." Sovereign stated with a shaky voice. 

"Yes, but for how long." Zinnia replied, looking up at Dahlia who seemed to moan restlessly. 

Somehow, the darkness had appeared from every angle. It wasn't just behind them, it was above, in front, to their sides. They were utterly surrounded, and it seemed to have a constricting hold on Anniken, in a way that if she tried to move, it would be as if it was pushing back at her light. Two conflicting forces, unable to defeat the other entirely but possessing enough strength to hinder each one. 

"How long until it goes?" Sovereign choked, stepping back close to Anniken who was the only reason they were alive right now. 

Zinnia scowled, her hands trembling, "It doesn't."

Anniken Godfrey

The group quickly began running, the effigy of Dahlia seemed to also follow quite quickly, hovering very close to her sister Zinnia. Sovereign noticed how she moved a bit slower than normal, likely due to not having eaten or rested properly in at least two days.

"No sunlight for my gun to charge." she cursed, her voice sounding slightly metallic beneath the mask, "Dahlia can but- But I don't think its as simple as that. She's in there, but she's not."

Sovereign glanced round to see the large white construct, the curved metal held together in segments as arms made of gold would occasionally move, reaching out to Zinnia to push her forwards when she slowed down. It may not be Dahlia in there completely, but the effigy still had a love for her sister, knowing that it needed to protect her somehow. 

The darkness roared behind them, charging after the group like a stampede of wildebeest. It was like a flood, black magic pouring through the tunnel as it clawed and reached out to them, only held back by the weak light that the wisps gave off. But it wouldn't be enough, it would soon swamp them entirely. 

"We need it- Dahlia to make more of those wisps, or we're fucked!" Sovereign shouted, trying to make himself heard over the roars and screams of the malicious intent that nipped at their heels. They were running out of time, he could feel his body growing heavy and his mind becoming tainted, the other Sovereign's beginning to panic as the shadows lapped at his feet. They felt hot, but also cold, but it was painful either way. 

Anniken Godfrey

"Of all people? It had to be you." Zinnia scowled, a wisp floating past her face and lighting up her features more. She was quite young, maybe a bit older than Sovereign. Her skin was pale, her eyes shimmered like the sun and hazel hair hung down just below her shoulders.

"Terrorising?" She tightened the grip on her gun, aiming it right between Anniken's eyes. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

At that moment, the effigy behind her shook slightly, letting out a metallic groan that was a mixture of machine and human. Zinnia's face dropped, she looked back with worry, "D- Don't worry. It's okay. Shhh, it's- it's okay..."

Sovereign took a step back, glancing behind his shoulder for a second just to check there was no darkness there. Thankfully it had gone, but there were still threats all around him. The way she spoke to the effigy just then... Like she knew it.

The gunslinger then turned back around, her gun lowering down in defeat. She looked broken, like her heart had been shattered into a million pieces. When Sovereign looked closer, he could see her eyes were slightly red, like she had been crying.

"Zinnia? You took the effigy from Samuelsonite, didn't you?" He asked, trying to sound sympathetic to her.

"Don't call her that!" She spat, her voice quivering, "That's my fucking sister! Look what they did to her."

She then looked up to Anniken, "Remember Dahlia? Look what those monsters at the town did. Turning her into one of their protective 'wards'."

She then burst into tears, holding her face in her hands. The effigy- Dahlia, let out a soft hum, as if to comfort her sister. Was she still alive somehow? Still aware of everything around her? Sovereign tapped his chin, could that be what the townspeople classed as 'broken'? Perhaps they were unable to fully remove the soul from the effigy, therefore making it sentient still.

"I just wanted her back. They killed her, they must have. I wanted to bring her back, but I've had nowhere to go. She accidentally attacked the town after someone tried to steal her. I've had nowhere safe to go, I thought I could hang low in the mines for a bit but..." Zinnia raised a finger slightly, pointing at the tunnel behind them, "That thing won't let me out. It wants Dahlia, I've been guarding her from it for days."

Sovereign couldn't help but feel sorry for her, how broken and exhausted she must be. But it left so many more questions, and things that he needed to know the truth about.

Anniken Godfrey

Justice seemed more sharper, more aware of her surroundings. Perhaps it was the fact she was more focused on locating the light that allowed her to ignore the looking evil for even just a second. It was enough for the two to speed up, and soon, they would literally see a faint flicker of light in the distance. For the first time in what seemed like forever, there was light. They could see.

"O- Over there." Sovereign panted, exhausted mentally and physically as he suddenly felt a new burst of life in him. He would run faster behind Justice, but slow slightly when he realised what it was.

"It's them." He stated, yet there was still uncertainty in his voice. A woman was perched in the centre of a large open space in the cave, kneeling down in prayer before some kind of strange artefact floating in front of her. She was dressed in black, with dark gold pieces of armour across her arms. Laying on the ground next to her was a broken gold mask and an even golder gun.

What he assumed was the effigy, Sovereign began to see it clearer as he took a few steps further. It was oddly shaped, with white metal curving out like wings, in the centre was a human face, surrounded by gold plating in a decorative manner. Small wisps of light also hovered around them both, the same wisps that had attacked Shale Town. It had to be one of the sisters.

"Hel-"

He was interupted abruptly when the woman in black and gold quickly leapt for her weapon, grabbing it with incredible reflexes and firing a bolt of pure light. Sovereign raised his arm up in the air to block it, but he felt the heat of it fly between him and Anniken. Whatever it was behind him hissed, the light clearly repelling the evil aura as the sensation of dread melted away. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Who are you?!" She barked, standing up and aiming it at them still, "What are you- A- Anniken?"

Anniken Godfrey

It was a tough mission, not in the sense that it put him in danger, but he felt morally conflicted. It was a shame such a beautiful creature had to be slain due to the ignorant and selfish people of this world. He didn't want to take any risks of keeping it alive, he didn't trust society to care and protect such a precious and powerful beast.

Sovereign had managed to arrange transportation for the Piki-Rijura to be delivered to the black market near Port Boulder. The arrangement was to keep in alive, but with a few convincing 'words' he was able to still get the reward for selling the parts of the fish. Sovereign was no fool, and knew it would be used for strange experiments in the near future, and if that was the case, it just meant more missions and money for him.