***
The slums is located near the dark side, or a land known as the 'plague'. After the death of the demon lord, the toxins inside of him spills, and his blood soils and tainted the land.
At first the armys, the allies, the planner, the creatures were celebrating the defeat of the demon lord's death but it wasn't for long, some of their man died from poison, radiation, extreme fatigue, or was put in critical conditions when they were expose to the vile air of that lord.
It spread far and wide, taking over many acre of lands, destroying the family's crops and home, as well as their life and they were no cure and no way in stopping the spread.
After taking over, and spreading its filth across the world, the spreading of the plague only stopped when it cover half of earth, creating two side. One that is pure or haven't been touched by the toxins and the other one, being cruel and wasteful, a wasteland filled of poison and bones, these bones are enough to create a giant skeleton. Acids reign over the waste land as it scorched whatever life was left.
The terrains change as the climate shifts in a different way. It didn't resemble the usual normal season like spring, march, fall, or summer but rather it stayed dim and will forever remain that way years round.
And the terrain—like a thorns on a roses, rocks on cliffs. Spikes pokes out of the ground, ready to stab anyone that falls on it, ready to cuts anyone that may have touch it. There's spikes were group up together in different size, forming a miniature mountains.
If anyone want to cross they would have to avoid the column of tall, thin spires of rock. And that isn't the only concern, as well as the poison air, they have to also fend off the demon lord's surviving army, creatures and many more unquestionably things.
***
"Alright so now that you know the history of the plague, we have made our way to our destination." Yuriel said with a smirk, pointing backwards.
"What do you mean? All I can see is a giant wall. Did you really make us walk through these dangerous plain for nothing?"
Vas Allen said walking toward her slightly.
"Hmm? What are you talking about, I'm showing you guys a secret passage, or what I call a shortcut."
Kim held back Vas Allen, then he turned to Yuriel.
"I don't understand. What's standing in front of us is a wall, you say it's a secret passage but nope, just look like a plain old wall."
Yuriel smirk once more, then she pound her fist on the wall. There was a little shake, some debris falls from the cliff but nothing.
"I don't see anything, shouldn't a secret path show up?"
Vas Allen asks.
Then the wall opens up, it's splits in two. What lies ahead is a path, there was torches on the side of the pavement so that the path could be lit.
"What were you saying now?" She says as she chuckles a bit.
"You see, the plague land is a death wish basically, it's unknown, it's deadly and if you get lost, you're lost for good which is why I thought up of a secret passageway."
Kim puzzled by this asks Yuriel why she build it in the plague land rather then the other side.
"It's because the teleportation relies on the poison air. You see, the toxin lingering in the air as bits of mana mixed in it, alone the poison won't be deadly but since there are so many that's able to filled half of the entire earth. It can use as a power source to this machine."
Kim now shocked as he grasp Yuriel's words.
"Wait, teleportation? Machine? What are you talking about?"
"You'll see soon." She said as she looked at Kim with a smile. Vas Allen who was walking behind Kim scoffed.
"I don't presume you built all of this on your own. Vas Allen asked sarcastically, not happy that Yuriel is here with them.
"I'll… admit that, I didn't build all of these, I have help from my family."
Kim looked at Yuriel's side face, he stared at it.
"I thought you lost your family?"
Yuriel looks at Kim with somewhat of a smile.
"I did.. it just that, I guess I found a new one."
"I see." Then Kim became silent, the rest of the group became silent.
Yuriel wasn't a downer like the rest of them, she knew that they had recently been in a horrible situation, involving with the the death of their loved one, well Luc Mugen isn't dead anymore but the thought of him being kill so easily frightened Kim, Vas Allen and Uma Michael.
"Neigh~" Barbella squeak out, Luc Mugen look at her with confusion.
"Huh? What's wrong girl?"
"Neigh~" squealing softly, the rest of the group stop abruptly which make Luc Mugen crash into Kim's back.
"Huh?" Looking ahead, he saw that there was a bridge made of rocks, it didn't look stable and it was somewhat wobbling, the bridge go in a narrow path, the side were hollow, only a single bridge lies there in their path.
"Uhm… what is that?" he asked as he pointed at it.
Yuriel with a smile breathed in the air of the cave and answer Luc's question.
"This right here is my playground basically."
Kim and the other stares at her face in awe.
"A playground… a freaking playground..?" Vas Allen uttered out as he rubs his forehead.
Yuriel shakes her head.
"No, it's like a playground but it's not. Basically there are traps everywhere for training because it was boring just walking and yeah, I wanted to make it interesting."
Kim walked up and stood next to Yuriel, looking ahead for a second before turning to Yuriel.
"Then isn't there any way for you to disable the traps? I don't think it's safe for the children to be crossing this bridge."
"Well I know that there's a way but those that helped me.. they tried to tell me but I didn't listen so… but it shouldn't be that hard."
Vas Allen sighed and looked at Luc Mugen.
"Luc, could you please put up your barriers so that we can walk across?"
Luc Mugen nods, he puts up two barrier that cover the empty holes but Yuriel told him to stop.
Just as Luc Mugen looks at her, his nose bleed. He drops down and slowly felt the blood rushing out of his nose.
"H-huh..?" Confused he looked at Yuriel.
"Using your mana here will backfire on you."
Kim rans toward Luc Mugen and held him up.
"And why is that?" Kim asked.
"The plague is filled with the lingering bits of the demon lord's blood, but you see, since our power, magics or mana resonates from the Gods, it won't mixed well."
"So what now, how do we get across?" Uma Michael ask.
Yuriel turns to look at Luc, Kim and Uma, she then tells them to get on Barbella.
"Wait, why?" Kim asks but his question was answer with a vague response.
"You'll see later."
As Kim and the kids got on the horse, they know that it's not going to fit them all.
"Wait, how about you guys? Also just tell us why we need to be on Barbella?"
Yuriel put her arm over Vas Allen's shoulder.
"Don't worry we'll be fine, and for the reason,"
Vas Allen gently slapped her arms away and brush his shoulder, Yuriel shrugged it off and continued.
"Anyways, the bridge was built to break so once Barbella cross the bridge. It will crumble." she says lightly.
"So how will you cross it?"
Yuriel smirks and points at the side of the wall, Kim didn't notice at first but there was a little stones budge popping out of the wall.
"Like I said, this was used for training so me and Vas got this. Alright, off you guys go!"
"Wait what do you-" Yuriel pats the horse to run and cross the bridge, Kim didn't even have a chance to finish.
As Barbella crosses the unstable road, it begins to shatter, luckily Barbella was faster then the bridge collapsing.
Once she successfully crossed the bridge, the road is no more. Hollow just like the side, the only change was that now there is a big wide gap between Kim and Yuriel.
Yuriel smiles as she saw that Kim and the kids made it over there safely. Looking at Vas Allen.
"Now that they're over there safely, it's our turn."
"And how do you propose to do that?"
"Easy!" walking over to the sides of the wall, Yuriel jumped and her feet land on the little pebbles sticking out.
"Not so hard right?"
Vas Allen stares up and down, crossing his arms.
"How about me? I don't think I can do something like that."
"Well, you could. You just don't realize it yet anyways, I'll meet you there."
Yuriel leaps from one stubble to another, she parkours through obstacles swiftly, without breaking any sweats, as the giant battleaxe charge at her. She punch it, breaking it into a thousand little pieces.
"Can't believe I'm getting rusty, if this was me back then, I would've gotten to the other side by now." She jumps and jump until she reach the other side where Kim and the kids are.
Yuriel then turns to Vas Allen and yelled out.
"You got this, trust!!"
Vas Allen stood there with her arms crossed, scoffing he decided to walk forward.
"I can't believe I have to do this."