Eldritch Horror Theatre

The scream lasted only about a second.

Kicked out through the hole in the wall, Mariana quickly suppressed her panic to avoid meaningless exertion. She tried to stabilize herself in midair as her Flesh Vines shot out, grasping for anything that could slow her descent.

"Just what you'd expect from an awakened one."

Watching with an admiring sigh, Fu Qian delivered another kick, widening the hole.

As the exit widened, the meager anchor points Mariana had finally managed to secure instantly failed, sending her plummeting at full acceleration once more.

"Ugh—"

The next moment, he grabbed a dumbfounded Esther and the awakened one, Ben—who hadn't even had time to react—and tossed them both out into the howling cold wind.

...

Although they were clearly in the wilderness, this wasn't strictly a prison. At a glance, the building's surroundings were actually quite pleasant.

With a dull thud, Fu Qian—bearing the weight of all three of them—landed in a crouch, stamping a crater directly into the ground.

Amidst the flying dust, he casually tossed Esther and Ben to the ground and looked up.

Thanks to the repeated drag of her Flesh Vines, Mariana—who clearly had no fear of heights—had fallen first but arrived last. She now hung suspended from a sculpture on the outer wall.

"Alright, you're up. So, what's the plan?"

Facing a clearly still-agitated Mariana, Fu Qian offered no critique of her performance and handed over command, just as he had promised.

...

"Go that way... Hurry... We made too much noise, the people inside definitely noticed..."

Mariana knew to focus on the big picture. Faced with Fu Qian's domineering method of breaking out, she quickly adjusted her emotions and used her Flesh Vines to land safely.

Without even trying to hold Fu Qian accountable, the rather disheveled woman gasped for breath as she pointed the way forward.

"Alright."

Keeping his word, Fu Qian raised no objections.

As for the remaining two, while they didn't look quite as wretched on the surface, the shock of their recent free-fall made voicing opinions a bit difficult. They both decided that silence is golden.

...

The Laerdin in the Nightmare was quite different from the place he had come from.

Through the small carriage window, Fu Qian observed the night scenery outside.

The commotion earlier had indeed triggered some alarm, but it clearly wasn't enough to stop their group.

After easily escaping that asylum-like facility, the group headed straight for the bustling downtown area.

Their original plan clearly hadn't included a prison break, which meant they had prepared no change of clothes.

Given how eye-catching Fu Qian and Esther's attire was, Mariana had immediately arranged for this transport, with Ben moving up front to drive the carriage himself.

Along the way, the night in this Nightmare seemed even livelier.

They could see all kinds of people out and about—men and women, old and young—sporting vastly different styles of dress.

The houses along the street were the same; many of the buildings were even more exquisite.

He could somewhat understand why Esther had accepted the claim that "the present is reality, and the world of your nine-year-old self is a nightmare."

But that was the strange part. Although they hadn't seen those grand churches along the way, he could still tell this was Laerdin.

For a Nightmare corresponding to reality to actually look more prosperous and lively—it had to be said, it was a bit bizarre.

"We'll reach our destination soon. Don't worry, you'll be very safe there."

Mariana broke the silence beside him, speaking softly to Esther.

The girl had been huddled in a corner by herself, barely speaking a single word the entire ride.

This behavior undoubtedly worried Mariana, who knew full well that the girl had been "poisoned" by Fu Qian.

Even with this gentle comfort, Esther only gave a slight nod, remaining silent.

Sighing softly, Mariana didn't mind. She quickly turned to Fu Qian, her expression turning serious.

"It might be pointless, but Mister Grimshaw, I need your promise that you won't pull another dangerous stunt like earlier, such as with the Dark Moon... I don't want to bring a massive headache to where we're going."

"In return, I promise to relay your situation to Lady Raven, letting her decide for herself whether to meet you. I believe this is something you'd be interested in."

Clearly, she hadn't stopped thinking during the ride, constantly pondering why Fu Qian had been willing to come along.

"Sounds fair enough, and I'm usually a low-profile guy anyway. I do have a small question, though."

Fu Qian gave a slight nod before shifting the topic.

"According to your philosophy, you shouldn't be too afraid of death in here. But judging from your reactions earlier, you're still doing everything you can to avoid it. Do you have some special concern?"

Seeming not to have expected this question, Mariana looked slightly troubled. In the end, she merely shook her head.

"If it were that simple, it wouldn't be a Nightmare... So, do you accept my terms? We don't have much time."

They didn't have much time—that much was true.

Fu Qian's smile didn't fade.

"I accept."

...

"This is your secret base? It doesn't look very low-profile."

Mariana's description had been accurate; it wasn't long before the carriage drove straight into a spacious courtyard.

While not exactly resplendent, it still looked luxurious at a glance.

Aside from the lack of people, it was just a bit quiet in the night.

"According to you, isn't it completely meaningless whether we keep a low profile or not?"

With a cold snort, Mariana beckoned Esther out of the carriage and signaled for Fu Qian to follow.

Clearly very familiar with the place, Mariana led the way to a room and gestured for Fu Qian to wait.

"I need to take Esther over first. Wait here for a moment, it won't be long."

"Alright."

Fu Qian kept his promise, accepting the arrangement.

Seeing how agreeable he was, Mariana looked relieved. Without another word, she took Esther and left the room...

And left the courtyard entirely...

That was right. After making a show of walking in a circle, Fu Qian confirmed that Mariana had kept walking, quietly sneaking Esther out of the area using a different route from the one they had arrived on.

It seemed his earlier doubts were justified; this place wasn't the awakened ones' base at all.

After some internal struggle, Mariana had ultimately opted for caution.

She might still relay his interest in a meeting to Lady Raven, but only while ensuring the latter's absolute safety.

If Lady Raven didn't want to meet him, Fu Qian was certain no one else would ever return to this place.

And even if she agreed, a round trip would likely take a lot of time. Right now, time was his most precious asset.

Even so, Fu Qian chose not to follow them, instead waiting silently where he was.

Knock, knock!

Barely half a minute later, someone actually knocked on the room's door.

Before Fu Qian could even speak, a dignified middle-aged woman pushed the door open and walked right in.

"Good evening, Mister Grimshaw."

"Good evening."

Fu Qian nodded in reply.

Who else could it be?

Mariana might have fulfilled her duty, but she clearly didn't understand the responsibilities of a Resistance Army leader.

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