Obumbratio

I'm not fine! Thanks for asking.

Arora and I decided to rest for a few seconds before coming up with a plan.

"So you said that Figaro and Aerith have gone to save John?" Arora asked thoughtfully while sharpening her blade.

"Err.. Yes." I nodded, eying her blade cautiously.

Arora carelessly swung her sword into its hilt and smiled at me, "Then why don't we go catch up with them. So far this game has been too boring, a rescue mission is just what I need."

Something about Arora seemed off to me, it wasn't Natalie off, but it was close. I bit my lips, weighing my options.

"Ok." I relented, "they went through there." I quickly pointed to the dark tunnel.

Arora cocked her head slightly, "If we wanna catch up, we will need to run."

I sighed, "Typical."

Running was no more fun that it had been the first 7 million times I had done it before, but it was becoming easier I'll admit. Arora didn't even seem to break a sweat as we crashed through the overgrown patches of forest leading towards the center. I wasn't even thinking as we raced across the fields, stumbling over rocks and some stray branches. I didn't notice the upcoming problem until Arora pulled be to a halt.

"What is it? What's wr-" I stopped as soon as I noticed what lay ahead. Bodies. At least 18 of them, lying in a pile on the ground. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, threatening to break out, as my mind jumped to the worst.
"A-are they..." I began, not daring to say the word.

"Frozen." Arora whispered back, filling me with relief. "This is a common technique for the taggers, to gather everyone together and guard them all at once."

I looked at the bodies in disgust, "That's horrible."

Arora shrugged grimly, "You do what you need to do to win."

I scoured the bodies for people I knew, I could feel my heart drop as I noticed a frozen Holly, John, Joy, and then my eyes landed on Zenith. She was making a really weird gesture, like she was about to yell something. I took a bit longer looking at her, before I finally glanced away.

"Ok. Now we just need to find Aerith and Figaro." I quickly looked around, but I saw no heavily armed soldiers running around calling everyone infidels. Did they get caught already?! No. I didn't see their bodies in the pile. I glanced over at Arora to ask her if she saw them, before noticing she was frozen in shock, staring at one of the bodies sprawled across the grass.

"Arora? You ok?" I asked cautiously.

"Fine." She snapped wheeling around, "we have to free them."

"Great... so... how do we do that exactly?" I questioned, sinking into a nearby push, my heart racing in a mix of nervousness, anticipation, and maybe some excitement?

Arora seemed to be thinking very hard, but her eyes would glance to the same body every now and then.

I looked over curiously at the body she seemed so interested in. It appeared to be a rather tall man in a long ponytail, he had been frozen mid smirk. He seemed rather eerie and pale in the cold moonlight. As I stared, entranced at him, I could have sworn he blinked.

"...and that's the plan. Got all that?"

I snapped back to Arora as she finished drawing something in the dirt, "What?" I blinked in confusion.

"You weren't listening? To anything I said?" she demanded in exasperation.

"No..." I shrugged sheepishly.

Arora rolled her eyes before wiping out whatever she had drawn in the dirt, "ok, you know what? Just stay here and attack when I give the signal."

I nodded nervously, preparing myself for a crazy fight. But just before I could, a sharp tap came on my shoulder.

I whirled around to find, Figaro! Her face seemed rather serious and hardest.

"Nice of you to join us." She commented, a little bitterly at me before glancing up at Arora "Nice to see you... Arora."

I smiled in relief, "So glad I caught up with you in time! You've seen the bodies, right? You know it's a trap."

"yeah." Figaro grimaced, playing with her blade, "But I suppose you have a plan... Arora."

"yes. I suppose I do." Arora commented, just as coldly.

I glanced between them, trying to understand this hostility, but they seemed to be avoiding each other's gazes.

"Right..." I said slowly, "Mind sharing with us, Arora?"

Arora nodded slowly, before grabbing a stick from the ground, "Right." She nodded, beginning to draw what seemed to be a map of our location, birds eye view. "So, we don't know where the taggers can be hunting, they can be anywhere, just waiting to attack. So we will need a distraction, someone to 'fall' for their trap. Then when the Taggers reveal themselves, we strike."

Figaro scowled slightly, "So you are saying that we go on the offense then? The runners NEVER go on the offense."

Arora glared at Figaro, "What I'm saying is we paralyze them long enough to run away with our people. Do you want to free them or not?"

Figaro seemed to be trying to appear taller as she glared right into Arora's eyes, "But how successful do you think this plan can be? Wouldn't they see that coming? You don't think they prepared for that? We could be the only runners left, why take the risk? The best plan is to try to sneak in, unfreeze people and then get out."

Arora inched closer to Figaro, her nose a few inches away from Figaro's, "But didn't you hear, that's what they are hoping we do! My plan is the most logical option, you are being too paranoid, we can take them!"

"NO WE CAN'T" Figaro was right under Arora now, her eyes blazing with fury, her teeth bared.

"Shut up" I hissed, looking towards the mass pile. I didn't see any taggers running to get us, so I sighed with relief. But just as in was about to turn away, I froze as I noticed a small foot in a nearby tree.

"There's someone there." I growled.

"Where?" Arora demanded, turning away from Figaro to look.

"There, up in the tree."

Arora licked her lips, considering the options. "Time for a distraction. Attack on my signal." Ignoring Figaro's angry grunt, she quickly jogged into the clearing, running towards the mass of frozen bodies.

I tensed up, waiting for the person to jump from the tree, but it just sat there, not even moving. I glanced back to see that Arora had just reached the pile, and was circling it. Her eyes shot around, to see all directions, waiting for a fight. But no one came. She frowned, before approaching the tree. She peered up through the branches, and froze. Her mouth hung open as she stared through the cover, she hesitated for a second before beginning to run back to me.

"An ambush! An am-" she was cut off as a sudden arrow whizzed towards her face. She barely deflected it, as she stumbled through the frozen bodies.

"Come on!" I cried to Figaro, turning around, "we have to help her!"

I turned just in time to see the blade swinging two inches from my face.

[End of chapter 7]