Seira Valen was waiting at the Floor 9 exit gate, her dark hair unmistakable even among the scattered groups of climbers near the portal.
Dante spotted her before she noticed him, noting how exhausted she looked with her usual polish worn away by whatever the Burning Halls had done to her. Her team was smaller than before, four survivors where there should have been six, the missing faces presumably left somewhere in the volcanic depths.
'Two dead, then. Wonder which ones didn't make it.'
"She followed us all the way from Floor 8." Astrid adjusted her axe strap without looking at the woman in question, her tone making it clear exactly what she thought about that. "Like a lost dog that won't take a hint."
"Her choice to make." Dante angled toward the gate instead of the gathering area where Seira had positioned herself, keeping his pace steady. "We don't owe her anything."
