"So basically, raiders came to this town, took people, but then they saw this mom's daughter and tried to kidnap her, which makes no sense because they were already taking people and nobody did anything about it," Theli explained. "Then she hid this shield in this manor, but you also think something came through this village and spread all this black ink." She finished.
"Yes, that's the basic synopsis of it," Gyles said, shrugging her shoulders. She then noticed something. "Look, there's the manor," Gyles continued, pointing towards a building that oddly looked like a church.
All the other wooden houses were pushed to the side, making it a clear path to the church-like building.
They began walking toward the building.
"Oh man, I smell blood... at least I think it's blood. I can't tell what the hell blood smells like. The closer we get to the manor, the more I'm probably going to smell this," Theli said, unsure of herself.
"After what we saw, it maybe is the blood. If it isn't blood, it could be rotting corpses," Gyles said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.
As they got closer, Theli started plugging her nose because the smell got worse. They also saw more black ink as they approached. They began side-stepping the black ink, when chewed-up bodies started emerging, some with their heads bitten off, their crimson blood seeping into the dirt road. The smell of ink and blood mixed, along with the odd scent of something metallic and musky that smothered their senses.
They coughed, waving their hands in front of their faces, trying to wave the smell away. Gyles walked up to the front door, stepping over a body that was in the way. She noted it down in her mind, then put her hand on the door handle, twisting it open. A sudden gust of wind made Gyles' black cloak flutter.
"Where the hell did that come from?" Gyles muttered, perplexed by the wind. She looked inside the building and saw dead bodies, most of them eaten from the torso up, leaving behind only their legs.
Gyles stepped inside. "Shit, it's freezing," she said, quickly pulling her foot back outside.
"How? It's warm out here, isn't it?" Theli questioned, confusion on her face.
"You can stick your hand in there if you want, but I'm telling you it's cold," Gyles said, shrugging.
Theli then stuck her hand through the doorway. "I don't know what you're talking about, but it's not freezing, just a little chilly. Well, to me, anyway."
Gyles came up and stuck her hand through. "Huh, it's not freezing anymore," Gyles said, confusion in her voice. She turned to Theli, who gave her a blank look. "I'm telling you it was cold."
"Aha," Theli said, a bit smug.
Walking in front of Gyles, Theli entered the church-like manor. She saw a lot of displays with weapons—spears, swords, shields, etc. The glass of the displays was cracked open, and some of the weapons were taken, most smeared with blood.
"You think the thing is in here?" Gyles wondered, looking around.
"I mean, if the thing came from here, wouldn't you think it would go outside to take care of the villagers? So I don't think it's in here," Theli theorized, her hands in her pockets.
"But that's the thing—it's too empty. I've watched enough movies to know this is suspicious. They're trying to lure us into a false sense of security and then jump us at the last moment," Gyles said, pounding her fists together with a grin on her face.
"What kind of movies do you be watching?" Theli mumbled.
"The kind that are good," Gyles replied with a wink.
Theli turned to look at Gyles, who was grinning at her. She then turned back around and continued walking. Soon enough, they saw stairs leading to what they assumed was the basement.
"I'm not going down there. It's too suspicious. You can go down if you want," Gyles immediately declined, shaking her head.
"Weren't you the one who said two heads are better than one?" Theli said, rubbing her chin. Gyles grumbled but then smirked.
"You're using my own words against me," Gyles said, gasping and putting a hand on her heart, feigning hurt. "They grow up so fast." She wiped away a fake tear.
Theli had already opened the door to the basement. "Yeah, yeah. You coming, or are you just gonna stand there all day?"
"Geez, you don't have to be so pushy."
But Theli was already walking down the stairs. Gyles mumbled under her breath, following after her.
The walls were lined with torches, and there was a spiral staircase. There were also stains on the wall that looked reddish-brown, and black ink was starting to cover most of the walls.
"Hey, do you feel that wind?" Theli asked, turning toward Gyles.
"Yeah, I feel it. What I'm questioning is, how is the wind coming from the basement?" Gyles replied.
After that, a silence hung in the air as they kept silently walking down the spiral staircase.
"I think I see something up ahead," Theli said, pointing ahead.
"What do you see?" Gyles asked curiously, trying to see what was in front of Theli.
"I see... darkness," Theli announced, pausing for dramatic effect. She turned to Gyles and gave her a flat look. "Come on, that was funny."
"You must have been on the internet for too long; your humor seems like it was stolen from a YouTube comment section," Gyles said, shaking her head.
Theli continued walking. "Whatever, let's just go."
"I wish we could see in this darkness though," Gyles said, stopping at the last step and looking around.
"I can see in the dark just fine," Theli replied.
Gyles then looked back up at her, tilting her head like she was thinking. "Now that I think about it, you might be based on a lion. Fun fact: did you know lions have great night vision, especially since their eyes also have a membrane?"
"Membrane is a sheet of tissue or layer of cells acting as a boundary, right?" Theli said, rubbing her chin in thought, unsure of herself.
"Yep, you got that about right," Gyles said. "For that, you get a star!" She said, using a baby voice at the end.
As Theli was about to respond, a loud, gargled wail filled the room.
"WOOOOOOOOOO!"
Theli covered her ears, pushing them down as much as possible.
"What the hell was that?" Gyles wondered, looking back up at the stairs, secretly wondering if it was going to come down the stairs.
Theli groaned a response. "I don't know, but my ears are buzzing," still holding her furry ears down.
"'Buzzing'?" Gyles thought, confused. She then shook her head. "Remain focused on the task at hand, Gyles."
"Wait a minute," Gyles said, turning back to Theli. "We were so focused on our conversation that I forgot to ask—did you see anything in the basement?"
Theli turned her gaze to the basement, but much to her surprise, she could see just fine. There was nothing there but vacant space. Gyles began feeling up the walls.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Theli asked, raising an eyebrow. "And don't we still have to worry about the thing that made the roar?"
"I'm feeling the walls for a hidden switch to open a secret door or passageway," Gyles said, pressing the side of her face against the wall. "Either way, I will finally prove that watching all those spy movies was worth it."
"Look, I'm telling you right now—don't get dissatisfied when—"
A clicking sound filled the room, and suddenly, a stone wall flipped open, revealing a hidden passage.
"H-h-how do you even—this is not—oh my god!" Theli stumbled over her words, in awe that someone would hide something like this.
"Hey, are you just going to stand there, or are you coming?" Gyles smirked smugly at Theli, proud of her discovery.
"I just can't b-believe that there was a hidden passageway there," Theli muttered, still stumbling over her words. "It sounds like something straight out of a mystery movie." She finished, wide-eyed.
They moved forward, and in the next room, Theli saw a library. Books lined the walls, with a sign at the top reading "Magic Section." In the center of the room stood a beautiful shield. Its design was simple but elegant: a silver color with a roaring dragon in the middle, practically glowing.
"So, this is the shield she was talking about?" Gyles wondered aloud, walking toward it. "Hey, do you hear that?"
Suddenly, the shield began to shake, glowing a violent silver. Gyles and Theli had to cover their eyes from the intensity. The shield flew toward Gyles, attaching to her arm. She screamed in pain as the shield burned into her skin, falling back to the ground, her body convulsing as her legs jerked uncontrollably.
Theli quickly ran over, panicking. "Is she having a seizure? Wait, no, not the time!" she thought frantically. "Okay, okay, on the internet, they said to put people who are having a seizure on their side..." Theli quickly placed Gyles on her side, supporting her head.
Gyles' screaming stopped, but she continued convulsing, her body twitching intermittently.
Gyles shot up suddenly, panting and breathless. Tears ran down her cheeks. Theli rubbed her back gently. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked, concerned.
Gyles gulped before speaking. "Yeah, I-I think I'm okay," she said shakily, standing to her feet. Theli quickly took her arm, helping her stand.
"I think it's time to go upstairs," Theli said, guiding her.
"Wait, before we go, can you go over to the magic section?" Gyles asked, pointing toward the shelves. "Just grab any books you can find."
"You sure you can walk on your own?" Theli asked, still concerned.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Trust me," Gyles smiled, reassured.
Theli sighed and removed Gyles' arm from her shoulder. "Fine," she said, walking off toward the magic section. It was organized alphabetically by element: Darkness, Earth, Energy, Fire, Light, Spirit, Thunder, Water, and Wind.
Theli picked out a "beginner" book for each element, now holding nine books in her hands. "I hope Gyles has something to carry these in," she muttered, walking back toward her.
"Hey, you do have something to carry these in, right?" Theli asked, holding out the books. "I don't want to carry these, especially with that thing outside."
Gyles pulled back her black cloak, revealing a side pouch. "Don't worry, I got it." She took the books from Theli and stuffed them into the pouch. "See? Nothing to worry about."
Theli gave her an unsure look. "I still feel like they're going to fall out," she muttered, walking out of the library. She started climbing the spiral staircase with Gyles close behind.
"Don't worry, it'll be just fine," Gyles reassured her. "Capiche?"
"Yeah, I understand," Theli said, and they continued walking in comfortable silence. Gyles began humming softly.
They eventually made it to the top, and Theli pushed open the basement door, holding it open for Gyles to walk through. They passed the weapon rack and stopped in front of the main door.
"I'm still kinda nervous. I mean, where did that roar even come from?" Theli asked, absentmindedly messing with her wild hair.
"Doesn't matter," Gyles replied. "When we encounter the thing that made the roar, that's when it matters. For now, I'm more concerned about this shield on my arm."
Gyles' wrist was seared black where the shield had burned into her, and the shield had caused her clothing to burn, forming a circle around the scorched skin.
"You should be mortal," a deep, croaky voice suddenly said, cutting through the air.
"I mean, you peasants have no class," a second voice said, this one more feminine, yet irritated.
"The shield talks?" Theli asked, surprised.
"Of course," the croaky voice replied. "Powerful magic items like us have spirits inside of them, or spiritual energy that can manifest as spirits or remain as energy."
The feminine voice added, "But it all depends on how powerful the magic item is. Some spirits don't manifest because they don't have enough energy."
"Nice expos," Theli interrupted, her eyes widening. "So you're powerful spirits, then?"
"Exactly why we attached to Gyles," the feminine voice continued, much to Gyles' confusion. "Not only is Gyles a Thorgon, a race capable of living for thousands of years, but I also sense an honorable spirit within her."
"Thorgon?" Gyles asked, confused.
"Yes," the feminine voice explained. "A race of adaptable people. Their bodies can adapt to almost any situation. If it's too cold, they can make their bodies just as hot to combat it."
"So that's why I didn't feel the cold the second time," Gyles thought.
"Can we stop stalling and get on with it?" the croaky voice announced, sounding irritated.
"Fine," Theli said. She opened the door and walked out, only to trip over a body that had been left in front of the door.
Gyles snapped out of her confusion and walked around the body. "You could have at least helped me up," Theli grumbled as she got to her feet, intending to wipe the dirt off her clothes—only to touch the blood on her shirt. "Ew, now I've got blood on me! It's even on my knees."
Gyles snickered, covering her mouth.
"Hey, you can't laugh unless we're both like this," Theli rationalized. "Then I can laugh at you, and you can laugh at me. Then we both can laugh."
But Gyles kept walking away, snickering to herself. Theli sighed, walking beside her, still grumbling about the blood on her clothes.