"Are you sure you don't still feel it?" The Man asked incredulously.

  "You're imagining it. Stop whining." The Woman said coldly.

  The Man did just that, but he didn't stop talking, continuing to try and keep up some conversation with The Woman all the way down the tower staircase. His efforts were in vain, as The Woman wasn't in the mood for conversation.

  After The Husk had finished the engraving of the reincarnation spellwork, it had declared that it needed sleep. Neither The Man nor Woman knew what to make of that, as they'd never even thought of the creature sleeping. But, with their shared benefactor indisposed in an unknown location, the two had, through unknown means, agreed to investigate the shaking from before.

  "Why are you so talkative? If it weren't for my concern about this place falling on my head, I'd be sleeping right now. So, why are you so full of energy after that?" The Woman interrupted The Man's continued attempts at small talk with an aggressive question.

  The Man stalled for a second at the inquiry. But, he only took a moment to continue down the stairs while answering.

  "To tell you the truth. Outside of short trips to the foot of the mountain for spices and the like, I haven't talked with people in a while. I have spent the last ten years in this tower, focused on improving my knowledge and magical abilities." The Man dawned a somewhat sad look. A look The Woman was left unaware of, as she was walking in front of him. "honestly, that's how my life has been since it gave me that book. Always focused, no time for fun or friends, always moving forward. Even if I had to everyone I know, behind." The Man stopped walking again. "So, I guess I'm kind of excited to have someone around who I won't have to leave behind. Someone who shared in the pace he sets." The Man continued walking, falling back in step, not far behind The Woman. He didn't continue trying to keep a conversation, content to allow the silence.

  The Woman didn't say anything for some time, only speaking as they reached the tower's lowest floor.

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  "There were days I thought about not going to the caves to train." The Woman maintained a steely expression while speaking. "Days I thought it might be better to tell someone about the monster just outside of town. Give up and have a normal life." The Woman stopped walking just before the door—The Man taking a second to react, almost bumped into her still form. "But, I never did. Every day, rain, shine, snow, it didn't matter. I made my way to that cave, and I trained every day, without fail, for ten years." The Woman pushed open the door continuing outside, followed soon after by The Man. "I wondered if it was worth it for a while. Then I went on a journey, following it here. And, I found out along the way that I am one of the strongest weapon masters in our time." The Woman stopped again and turned to The Man with a questioning look. "But I still can't beat my teacher. I can barely leave a scratch in direct confrontation."

  "It's similar for me. I suspect I am one of the most competent combat mages around." The Man responded to The Woman's look. "But I don't hold a candle to what I know he understands."

  The Woman turned away from The Man and continued moving around the tower in silence.

  Neither said anything for a while. Neither had anything else to say on the subject. That comfortable silence continued until the two came across the edge of some cracks in the ground, behind the tower.

  The two followed the cracks to the edge of the snowless patch around the tower. At the edge of the circle, The Woman bent down to dust the piled snow away to make following the cracks easier.

  "You keep saying he; what makes you think our benefactor is male?" The Woman said curiously.

  "A hunch." The Man said matter of factly.

  "A Hunch?" The Woman asked.

  "That and the bone structure. I could be wrong, but I feel better saying he over it." The Man confessed, waving his hand, producing a gust of wind that blew the snow away from the cracks in front of them.

  "Fair." The Woman said, standing up to follow the now visible cracks.

  It didn't take the two long to reach the origin point of the impact from before. But, what they saw stunned them.

  "is that what I think it is?" The Woman asked, pointing to the center of a moderately sized crater.

  "I'd have to say, yes." The Man responded, concern in his voice.

  The Two stood at the edge of a crater—large spiderwebs of cracks spreading out from its center into the mountains around them. The area at the center of the hole seemed to have the same snow stopping abilities as that of the tower as it lay barren even now. At the very center of the impacted area, an inset section of the ground sat emitting a purplish-black smoke. The inset's shape was all too similar to the form of a head, with a flattened face.