Some time had passed after Leader has asked Rags to find his children for him, to his pain Aya had found out and had come crying towards him that her newly found friend had already left her so soon. It hurted him to see Aya so deeply wounded but he knew that she didn't think it was his fault. Aya had fallen back to sleep on leader his lap clearly seeming quite happy that she had this opportunity. Leader thought it might have been better this way. He had to keep the children happy and calm and not letting them think about the three missing all too much. He gently stroked Aya her head as Neeza entered, he gestured her to be silent in a cheery way despite seeming rather tired himself.
He already knew that Neeza was somewhat odd in her own way, she believed the abyss to be holy and believed that this was the best outcome for the missing ones to have gone further down into the abyss on their own. It wouldn't take long for her wanting to go down further just like them. Leader would still happily hear what the girl had to say to him in order not to make her upset. It was rather strange on its own that she would come at this time to lecture him about giving penalties to the kids. Awkwardly he replied back with a quiet voice.
"I don't think that is the best way to do it Neeza-chan."
"Neeza-chan wouldn't like it either if I gave her a penalty for getting out of bed during this hour either would you?"
Leader was gesturing with his hand patting the air above Aya her butt while looking at Neeza as he was meaning to give spankings.
"Hurting the others would only result in havoc and fear of my presence wouldn't it Neeza-chan. In that regard I would scold someone if they have done and extremely bad thing that I'm absolutely against but hurting them on a regular basis for doing bad would not work in this situation."
"That aside, are you unable to sleep Neeza-chan? You can tell me if something is clouding your mind. Perhaps a cup of tea would help you sleep as well?"
He gestured for her to sit down on the bed along sides the sleeping Aya while he readied the tea without waking Aya, if Neeza wanted off course. There had been 3 empty cups on his desk already for all the visitors that had entered his room this night, he wouldn't get much sleep today...
The dawn of nightime had been rather calm for mister elevator operator, he was silently reading a book alongside one of the torches at the beginning of the bridge leading towards the elevator. He was free to do so during these periods since no one would be willing to go down at night anyway. It was more so to check if there were no sneaky brats willing to go down without permission. It was happening way to frequent just recently.
The silent footsteps got the attention of the abyss guard making him put his book aside and stand up to greet the young girl with a warm smile.
"Good evening young miss. You'd like a ride to the first layer?"
He patiently waited for the girl to reply and had already noticed the blue whistle hanging on her shirt. She was free to go alone into the first layer, she didn't seem to be from the orphanage. It was pretty rare to see someone so young with this whistle that wasn't from the orphanage. The Lift operator gestured towards the side of him towards a big board of missing people that had gone into the abyss and never returned.
"Please get a good look at these people and be sure to alert someone once you think you have found them, alive or not. There had been some recent missing people at the bottom side of the board. We wouldn't give them priority over the rest off these people off course but we have the highest possibility to find them alive still."
He gave a somewhat grim look once he mentioned the lost people but kindly smiled at the young girl as not to scare her.
"Have a safe trip miss."
He waited at the elevator controls for the girl to hop on and lead her down once she was ready.
The Hammerbeak did not manage to get Rags off once it rolled over. It desperately tried to flap its wings and peck Rags with its enormous beak but was only barely able to get to Rags her arms and shoulders to lightly scrape them. It jumped and moved around as Rags held onto the bird with both hands but to its desperation the girl was locked dead onto the back of the bird.
With Rags on its back it flapped its wings lightly making itself hover above the ground and lash its sharp claws out at Sieg. The claws scratched the boys arms lightly only tearing through clothes lightly and leaving close to no wounds. The bird landed back on the ground again and screeched out a deafening sound for a moment before it eyed back at Sieg. The moment it could look back it felt a heavy hit to the side of its body. The bones of the bird could be heard bursting in its wing as the backpack connected. At the same time that the backpack connected the bottom of the backpack gave in completely scattering the supplies it contained over the ground next to the bird. Any food that was contained within was instantly ruined by the floor and the backpack had to be repaired as well to be used once more.
The bird yelped out as it attempted to headbutt Sieg off the edge of the platform. The movements of the bird had become slower leaving Rags an attempt to hit the bird once more.
With Rags her killing intent and hunting skills she knew exactly where the vital points were in the bird its body. She readied the arrow and drove it right through deep enough to hit both its blood veins and lungs. The bird screeched out in pain as blood burst out of the wound onto Rags. The bird coughed up some blood as well and coughed it towards Sieg. The bird tried stepping closer to Sieg but fell under its own weight towards the front hanging with its beak over the edge. It was breathing heavily as it had completely stopped moving. It was soon to be over for the bird as blood trailed out of its mouth and wounds. The bird would not move anymore after the fight leaving the group the choice to end it or leave it be before they continued on their search.
Kryss had taken a look into the cave but found it out to be not as deep and big as she would have expected, she could easily see to the end when her eyes had adjusted but could only spot a nest with a few big Hammerbeak eggs likely laid by the Hammerbeak they had just been fighting. There was no sign of the girl.
Rags knew that the blonde girl was not here but had found scents of the girl back on the platform they had been coming from. There was a long path alongside the wall of the abyss leading towards one of the more bigger platforms of the first layer.