As Rune and his party moved away from the pillar with Vara and Xena in tow, not one of them noticed the presence of the figure hidden atop the structure. Two sticky, crystal-like spears had been aiming down at the top of Vara and Xena's heads, poised to strike at the next slightest movement. Had things continued any further, the attack would have been released, and the two women would have been impaled without ever knowing what had happened. Luckily, things did not come to that, and the figure backed off and hid from sight as soon as it saw the situation had resolved.
"Darling really is always getting into trouble," The figure chuckles, staring at Rune's departing back. "But that is okay. I'll protect you~"
It jumped from the top of the pillar, following the group at a far enough distance to avoid detection. Rune and the rest of the girls were none the wiser.
***
Well, I failed my goal. But 6 out of 7 chapters is still good, as long as nothing else comes up suddenly. Right? Well, enough about my sulking. If I'm being completely honest, I expected for the story to have progressed to Nereid already and I'm sure some of you feel the same. My visons for the story always seem to evolve once I start putting them on the page. Regardless, I hope it has been enjoyable so far.