?Gunther stood in front of the academy main gate, the place where the group needed to head inside. He was dressed in his gear from head to toe, and even both of his weapons were seen on his back.
This was a man who had helped and caused issues for the group before. Gunther, having found out that Raze used demonic energy and more had decided to keep things to himself.
However, at the end of the day, he was working for the academy under the fact that he was a member of the Flowing Force Clan, just like Mada was as well.
Right now, they were unsure, why was he here, was he really here to help them?
"Hey, that's Gunther, he's one of the principal's right-hand men in this place, right!" Tinson said. "Crap, are we going to have to fight him?"
Cronker was traveling with the group, staying between those at the back, hunched and hiding his presence.
He was a middle-stage warrior, the only one of the group that could possibly face Gunther.
"It looks like I finally get to see your face, I knew something was up with you," Gunther said. "And I knew you guys would end up in this situation. You're heading to the forest right, come on, I'll take you directly there through the academy."
However, as Gunther gestured for them to move forward, nearly none of them did. They were afraid and were ready for a fight.
"What are you waiting for, if you take too long then the principal will come and get you!" Gunther claimed.
Even then though, his words sounded as if it was a trap to them. That was until one person had decided to vouch for him.
"It's okay, we should follow him, we can trust him," Mada said.
"Well, of course, you would say that," Liam stated. "The guy is your brother."
"Well, although brothers, or related doesn't mean they are close, and that is the case of his family, I can guarantee it," Ricktor stated.
What Mada didn't want to do was state his reason why, but he knew he could trust Gunther. If his brother had wanted him dead, then he would have let the Lethal Bite Clan take him out.
Why save him back then to take him out now?
"He won't harm me, I trust him," Mada said, running forward.
It only took one, and after that, Dame had decided to give it a shot as well. The two of them did have a conversation before, and based on what he knew about Gunther, he didn't really seem the type to care about the academy so much.
It was almost as if there was an ulterior motive as to why he was here.
Once Dame followed, it didn't take long for the rest of them as well. Entering the academy through the gate, Gunther continued on a path through the building that would lead them straight to the back door.
"How do you know we were heading for the forest?" Dame asked.
"There was a time when I had eyepatch boy spy on you, and to report to me just what was going on with you guys," Gunther replied. "He was my inside man."
Hearing this, immediately both Simyon and Safa stared at him with a mean look.
"This was before we were friends, you remember before I made that promise to you guys!" Liam said.
The two looked away and grunting, and continued to run forward.
"I assume there's something there that allowed you to get out of this area last time, and you know, with the White Dragon disappearing and then coming back with you, it was pretty easy to figure out."
"It's a good plan," Gunther stated. "In the reports that I have found, no one knows of an exit or entrance in that place. Get out of this place, live your life as warriors, it might be best if you don't stay in the Dark Faction too much either.
"Murkel is a powerful man that has connections everywhere."
Gunther wanted to ask something else, out of those traveling with them he was surprised to see Ricktor was with the group. It made him wonder just what had happened in the assessment before that had brought them all so close together.
"It looks like we'll never get to have that fight to find out which of us is stronger," Dame joked.
"Right, but you're an initial stage warrior and I am at the middle stage, the fight wouldn't exactly be fair," Gunther replied.
"You would be surprised, as days go by, it looks like more and more people are breaking that barrier between stages.
"Techniques, skills, strength, items, and deep dark secrets that people have over each other. I could be one of them."
"Well then, just live so we can fight, and hurry up."
The group had finally reached the back gate. Gunther had access to open the door and using his key he pushed it open for the rest of them to get through.
While watching them go into the forest one by one he thought back to the entire reason why he had accepted this job.
He had been stuck in the middle stage trying to increase his strength further. The reward from the Crimson Crane, for finding out the Dark Magus, he believed he could use the reward to advance his cultivation further.
When the reward was taken down, honestly, Gunther wanted to leave the place almost immediately, but because of one individual he had decided not to, and in a way, he was glad he didn't.
"I'm coming with you," Gunther said. "Not the whole way, but I'll escort you to the edge, we never know what's going to happen."
The entire group continued to run through the forest, they were going further and further, and as they were approaching the large open edge cliff face, Gunther had heard something zip above them.
His footsteps were slowing, but it was too late. By the time the whole group had exited out of the forest and were at the cliff's edge they could all see a long-haired individual in black cloth staring at them all.
*Clap *Clap *Clap
"You have done extremely well to be able to escape this far, but what was your plan, to jump off this cliff and let fate decide what was going to happen to you?" Murkel, the principal asked.
"The fact that all of you are running, must mean that all of you have something to hide. I didn't believe it, I was just going to ask you a few questions and let you go."
"But now, all of you, in on something, what could it be? What secret could be so big, that even a member of my own clan would decide to betray me." Murkel said, and when he spoke these words he was looking at Ricktor.
The two of them stared at each other, eye to eye yet there was no facial expression change. No emotion between the two.
It appeared what Ricktor said about Murkel not really treating Ricktor the same was true.
"And Gunther, for you to aid them, just what type of treachery has been going on right under my nose, this entire time." Murkel's power was starting to grow from his back.
The situation they were in right now was the worst that it could be, and Dame had no idea how they were going to get out of this one alive.
