Everyone in the group broke into a run, following the fleeing light through one stone doorway after another.
After chasing it for a short distance, Kraft belatedly realized what was wrong with this. They were in an unfamiliar environment, following their opponent blindly and paying no attention to their surroundings.
Even without any preset traps, one moment of carelessness could leave someone behind, lost in this place.
He believed Green understood the danger better than he did, but they couldn't stop. The consequences of letting their opponent's warning reach others might be even worse. The best course was to catch the man as quickly as possible and end this chase, fraught as it was with potential risks.
They clambered over coffins blocking the way, bounded up and down steps, and made one abrupt turn after another until their knees began to ache.
The winding route made it harder to close the distance than they'd expected. The two sides seemed close, yet remained just out of reach; they couldn't catch a glimpse of the man's back.
Their quarry maintained his advantage by knowing the route. All he left behind was the rapidly fading yellow light and a shadow that stretched and twisted along the walls, darting like a snake into doorways and around corners.
The hardest part of the chase fell to the trainee. Her stride was shorter, so she often needed three steps to cover the distance others managed in two. Fortunately, her stamina kept her from falling behind.
This further divided Kraft's attention. He had to keep an eye on both ends of the group, watching to make sure nobody suddenly went missing.
Shouts came from ahead, echoing again and again through the connected stone chambers. That meant their opponent thought he'd reached a place where his companions could