Two weeks. Two weeks of carting all day, and sleeping outside all night. Carmine hated it. She had brought books along, knowing it would be a long trip, but she learned in the first few hours that trying to read in a bumping, bouncing cart upset her stomach quicker than rotten fruit. All her plans to review her Yarish had to be stuffed into a handful of short breaks and whatever twilight they had left during camp. That wasn’t even the worst of it; the horses stirred up the bugs and they would not leave her alone. The buzzing wormed its way into Carmine’s head for hours and nearly drove her mad, and that was still in the woodlands.

It got so much worse when they finally hit the arid strip the exorcist mentioned. “Arid strip” didn’t do justice to the hot, dry, mesa ridden landscape Carmine now had to endure. The only plants she could see were shrubs no taller than her knees, but at least they had water. They followed a thin stream that ran through a crevice between the red mesas. It barely had enough room for the cart. They had some shade from the sun, but the heat still cooked her inside her coat. She stewed, marinated in her own sweat, cursing that sweltering ball of fire in the sky.

She wanted to die. How could Nicholos do this for a living? Maybe he was a little crazy. Even with all the constant nuisances though, Carmine refused to complain even once, but she wanted to. By the ancients, did she want to, but she promised Nicholos she was ready for this. Whether it be another day of the sun beating down or a sudden downpour, he’d not hear an upset peep from her. Carmine just wished her exorcist counterpart showed the same resilience.

“What do ya think boss,” Jordan called from his horse to Tera, “Good time for another break?”

“We’ve already had one a few hours back,” Tera replied. Her tone became more irked with every passing day...and every new whine. “Besides, we’re not far, if the map is right.”

“Right, but...don’t you think it's a bit hot for the horses?”

“No.”

“You don’t think we should, uh, refill our water?”

“Our store will last until we reach the ruin.”

“Oh. Good.” Jordan slumped even deeper on his horse. Despite sharing the desire to take a rest out from under blistering sun, Carmine enjoyed his dismay. She looked up to the sky, wiping the sweat from her brow. Not many hours of daylight left. As warm as this place got, it dropped even colder at night.

"Should be an underground structure," Nicholos wheezed next to Carmine on their rickety wagon. "Anything to get out of this sun, eh Carmine?"

"Water…" She croaked, reaching at the canteen in the back of the wagon, just a little too far from her hand. Nicholos reached over her and grabbed it for her.

"Make sure you don't drink too much," he warned before handing it to her. " You don't want to make yourself sick."

"Don't worry." Carmine unscrewed the cap. "I won't." She slipped the canteen under her scarf and only took a small sip. The warm water offered little relief, but her true intent came through the whispered incantation under her breath. She uttered the Yarish words of winter and cold, turning the liquid inside the canteen to ice. A welcome shiver traveled down her spine as she placed the frigid container to her neck.

Nicholos cocked a brow. He touched the canteen and nodded in approval. "You little genius. Usually I'd say not to use magic so frivolously...but this...this is just a good idea." Nicholos plucked another canteen from behind him and gave it to Carmine. "Here, do this one next."

"What are you two doing back there?" Jordan interrupted. His voice always sounded like he was on the verge of shouting. Carmine rolled her eyes and looked away. "Hey, answer me! "

"We're just keeping cool," Nicholos replied, shaking the frozen canteen in his hand.

"What? Why aren’t you sharing with us? I'm melting out here."

"Stop complaining," Tera ordered over her shoulder pointing ahead. "There it is."

Carmine stood up on her toes, holding Nicholos' head to steady herself. She'd waited to finally see one of these old ruins her teacher spoke so highly of.

Nestled between the flat mesas, with the stream flowing into its shaded entrance, sat a buried structure, intermingling with the earth. Tarnished, silvery metal stuck out from the sand and rock, resisting the earthen grasp that would consume it. Their path would take them right into its maw and the ominous descent got Carmine's heart racing with as much fear as excitement.

"What do you think we'll find in there," Carmine asked Nicholos, shaking his shoulders. "A book lost to time? A magic talking mirror? Oh! What about a dragon! I hope we find a dragon!"

"You better hope we don't find a dragon." Nicholos added as he held Carmine steady. "Just remember Carmine, this isn't a leisurely trip. A dark mage worked in that ruin. Whatever we do, we have to be careful."

"Or, you know, you could stay near the entrance," Jordan suggested, earning another sneer from Carmine. "What, you think I'm wrong? You shouldn't even be here kid."

"Well...g-guess wh-," Carmine stammered, "I...am here." She quickly sat back down. Her voice deserted her when she tried to speak to either of the exorcists, but the mean one in particular. She bit her lip, annoyed with herself and her wavering voice.

"That's not a bad Idea," Nicholos said. Carmine shot him an angry stare. Betrayal! "Now, now don't get that look. We don't know how big that place will be. For today, you could really help by helping set up a camp for us. Think of it as...our headquarters."

"You're just saying that."

"I know it doesn't sound exciting, but once we make sure some areas are safe, I can take you to look around."

"Okay," Carmine gave a half-hearted smile. She disliked the idea of separating from Nicholos, but she made a deal with herself on the first day of the journey not to cause trouble.

"Thank you, Carmine," Nicholos gave her hair a rustle.

"The path narrows ahead," Tera called out. "It might be best to leave the cart and horses here."

Carmine sat back on the bench, looking around the crevice. "Will the horses be okay here? There's water but…"

"It's shaded at least, and hidden." Nicholos pointed out. "They'll just need someone to put out their feed."

"And that someone is me." Leagues away from home and she still couldn't escape more chores. "Alright, fine."

"Thank you, kiddo."

"But I'm coming for now," Carmine insisted. "I should at least get to see what it looks like inside there, right?"

"Aye, fair enough."

Carmine leapt from the cart, landing in the stream with a splash. Warm water flowed past her angles, leading her towards the old Yarish ruin.

"Don't run and slip," Nicholos warned as he walked down after her.

"I swear, if I have to babysit-" Jordan grumbled under his breath as Carmine passed. She made sure to stomp a little harder past him. Water in his boots might give him something new to whine about.

Tera stood at the entrance to the ruin ahead of all others. Knowing they'd arrive today, she had armored up already. She must be boiling in there.

Rock half covered the entrance way, but Carmine could make out an arch, or at least the suggestion of one, inside the stone. From what metal pieces peeked out, she recognized symbols, Yarish runes, and still legible, despite the sediment creeping into them.

"Ancient's script," Tera noticed as well. She brushed her hands along the symbols "So the necromancer told the truth after all." Tera side-eyed Carmine as she arrived, and Carmine nearly froze. Any of the exorcist’s attention had her wondering if she was in trouble. "Can you read it?"

"Wha- me?" The big, scary knight was asking her!?

"You're Sir Nicholos' student, correct? I assume you can do this much."

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"Uh...o-okay." Carmine dusted of the old runes and began reading. "It s-says 'Our children, be welcome. Enter seekers, imbibe our minds. Heed thy ken. Expect the glut.' Well, roughly that."

"Roughly?" Tera narrowed her eyes.

She doubts the reading, Carmine suspected. "Yarish doesn't really work when translated into Vembrian." She explained, pointing to some of the runes, eager to prove her understanding. "It's like doing magic, the words are supposed to have an intent behind them and It gets a little hard when it's written. The same rune can be written differently to suggest its intent. Look here, the Yarish word for children? It's intent would be closer to literally saying: my children, unbound by blood, selected scions."

"You got all that from one word?" Carmine watched with a satisfied smirk as the doubt slowly cleared from Tera's face.

"Yup! When you learn how to read it, its-"

"Really, gods damn, boring," Jordan grumbled as he pushed past Carmine. "I understand what "welcome" means. Let's just get in there already." Jordan squeezed through the gap, pushing into the ruin ahead of everyone else. Carmine fixed her scarf, glaring after him what a jerk.

"Reckless," Tera sighed under her breath. She pushed through after her apprentice, her armor scraping across jagged stone as she forced herself through the gap.

"Good read," Nicholos said, patting Carmine's shoulder. "Got it in one."

"Thanks Nico." She smiled beneath her scarf.

"Holy hell," Jordan's cracking voice echoed through the gap. "What even is this place?"

Carmine furrowed her brow, turning back to Nicholos, but he only motioned towards the gap with a knowing smirk he tried to stifle. He knows something, Carmine narrowed her eyes.

She stepped towards the gap, hesitating at the precipice. Anything could be in there, and that just makes it all the better. She passed through, effortlessly with her size, and in just a few steps the ground beneath her feet changed from soft, red earth to cold, hard silver. Sunlight couldn't reach inside, but the tomb held its own light. Amid walls of tarnished metal, rivers of pulsing azure snaked through sharp, narrow grooves carved into every surface. Even with them, Carmine's eyes needed time to adjust to the dim interior. Once they did, it went beyond anything she imagined.

The entrance corridor opened to a wide circular room with a domed ceiling. More or those strange lights ran over them, showering the room in their glow. The stream they followed ran into the brilliant creases in the floor, disappearing under small gaps between the walls.

"So far so good," Nicholos said as he followed Carmine. "Believe me, I've seen quite a few of these run down into death traps. This one is pretty well kept."

"If the rest of this place is as welcoming, this will be easy," Jordan boasted, walking around the entrance hall like he'd conquered it.

"I'm more concerned with the previous occupant's welcome," Tera said, dropping her pack to the floor. "Anything he left behind will not be so hospitable."

"Just as dead, though." Jordan added. A shiver ran up Carmine's spine.

"W-wuh-What?" Carmine asked, taking a step back towards the entrance.

Oh, you know," A sneering smile split Jordan's face, "shambling skeletons, mummified undead, hungry for lost little- Ow!"

Jordan's mean grin fell away as Tera smacked his head for the dozenth time this trip.

"Stop." She ordered. Again. Tera looked past her sore subordinate rubbing his head to Carmine. "Out of line as he is, Jordan is correct. Once we secure this entrance, it would be best for you to remain here."

"I-...yeah, I know." Carmine swallowed her disappointment. Cause no trouble, she told herself.

"There'll be time later," Nicholos consoled. "Leave the dangerous work to us."

Jordan cackled, "Hear that kid? Leave this to the experts."

"You're staying back too." Tera cut in.

"WHAT!?" Jordan's outburst echoed down every hall around them.

"You heard me."

Despite the apprehension Carmine felt, standing at the edge of a place as dangerous as it was mysterious, she took a very simple delight in watching Jordan deflate. The novice exorcist stammered over every word. The confused look on his mug was priceless.

“Nicholos and I will explore the ruin." Tera explained. "You will stay back in case we should need your help."

"I come all this way and you're putting me on stand by!? Master-"

"Take a cue from that girl and do as you're told."

"I-" Jordan grit his teeth but held his tongue. "Yes, master."

Jordan couldn't see past her scarf, but his disappointment gave Carmine a smirk a league wide...until she realized she's the one stuck with him.

"Y-You know M-Miss Tera," Carmine tried to protest. "I can l-look after things o-on my own." Her words fell on deaf ears. Tera had already moved on to the next order of business. Carmine looked over at Jordan. He was already shooting a contemptuous glare her way, one she returned. Maybe she should have stayed home after all.

“First we need to find the dark mage's workshop," Tera continued, speaking to Nicholos. "This is your area of expertise sir, but I suspect we'll find it further inside."

"Perhaps," Nicholos rubbed his chin, walking around the domed hall. He stopped at the corridor opposite of the entrance and with a sudden clap of his hands, Nicholos turned to Carmine and the exorcists with more bouncing energy than she'd ever had before. "In my experience, the ancients adored building vertically!" He explained, separating his hands up and down. "The first floor is usually little more than a reception hall, but we must explore it nonetheless. In all likelihood, we won't find what we're looking for but-"

"Better to be thorough." Tera finished for him. "Jordan, after today you'll be sweeping behind Sir Nicholos and I."

"That seems like a sound arrangement," Nicholos agreed. "Carmine...it might be best for you to stay close to Jordan"

"Why," Carmine droned.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean," Jordan snapped back immediately, but Carmine ignored him. Seems she'll be doing a lot of that.

"Son," Nicholos looked at Jordan straight. "You're an ass."

Jordan flinched, caught off guard. He just clammed up for once and looked straight down.

"And Carmine," Nicholos continued. "You're going to have to work with people you don't like sometimes. It would be good for you to learn that now."

Carmine avoided Nicholos' eyes. Bad news followed by a mini-lecture. She huffed and sulked before nodding begrudgingly. "Fine...I guess I can practice my Yarish here."

"There you go," he tousled her hair again as she tried to wave his hand away. He thinks he's so funny, Carmine thought with a smirk. "Let me know if you find runes you don't recognize."

"Sir Nicholos," Tera called, waiting at one of the side paths leading away from the reception hall.

"I'll be right there," he replied. He patted Carmine's shoulder and started off. "Take care of yourself, I'll be back in a few hours."

"Be safe," Carmine told him, brooking no dissent.

He smiled back and gave her a wave before disappearing down the path with Tera.

The moment Nicholos was out of sight, Carmine's shoulders slouched. All she had for company now was the human equivalent of a particularly bull-headed mule. And that's being unkind to mules.

Jordan started unpacking his and his master's bedrolls, setting them out in the middle of the hall.

What're you looking at," he asked, noticing her annoyed stare and giving one of his own.

Without reply, Carmine turned back to the dome walls, deciding she would unpack her and Nicholos' stuff after Jordan had moved away. At least she could distract herself with the ruins.

She turned her attention to the lines along the wall. What was the purpose? Did they do anything other than shine? Carmine traced her finger along the light bearing crevice, feeling her skin tingle as she followed it along the wall to a new corridor. Only a short one, Carmine could see another room just a short walk away, and Jordan was well occupied, setting up camp and grumbling to himself.

It wasn't far, not even a new room really.

Carmine crept away down the path to the new room. Unlike the big empty hall they walked into, this small room had what might have been furniture. Cubes, maybe chairs, jutted out from the floor, and a tall, rectangle thing, that Carmine assumed was a shelf, covered one wall from floor to ceiling. A bunch of weird Crystal panes lined its surface, tightly packed, yet not crammed together.

Carmine looked over each one, careful to look for anything that might be a trap. Nico warned her there might be traps. Not that she could tell, every one of these Crystal tablets looked identical. Maybe taking a closer look would tell her something.

With just her thumb and forefinger, Carmine eased the first of the tablets out of its line from the highest shelf she could reach. She expected it to catch and drag, but it slid right out. She held the tablet before her, looking through its translucent surface, its only deviation being a black stone affixed at its top.

It's blank!

She furrowed her brow in disappointment, turning every which way, even giving it a shake, let go of your secrets! Carmine huffed and sneered. What good is a blank tablet?

With her empty prize, Carmine moved to one of the cubes on the ground. She could figure this out. Surely, there had to be some secret to the artifacts here. As she went to sit, Carmine felt herself lifted into the air. She yelped in alarm, trying to figure out what, or who had grabbed her. Yet everywhere she looked: nothing.

A hum reached her ears coming from below and as Carmine looked at her would be chair, she noticed the lines within glowing brighter. Outlines of runes raced within the ley lines as Carmine realized: the cube itself cast a spell. The ruin could cast magic.

While she floated, comfortably now that she had a moment to calm down, more footsteps came racing towards her.

"Kid?" Jordan called, storming into the room, his face caught between fear and annoyance. Until he saw Carmine anyway, then he was just annoyed. "Are you fucking serious?"

Carmine raised a finger, trying to get a word in, "Y-You shouldn't s-say that-"

"And you shouldn't be poking around. You trying to get killed. I'm not you're damn babysitter."

"I-I just...saw these tablets- I-I didn't know-"

"What? You've never seen a lodestone before?"

That gave Carmine pause. As anxious as Jordan made her, the idea he knew something about this place that she didn't nearly insulted her.

"You don't know what these are," she said.

"Yeah, I do." Jordan scoffed as he yanked the tablet from Carmines hands. She grabbed after it, but still didn't know how to turn the cube-chair-thing off. Jordan pressed a finger to the black stone at the tablet's apex. After a few seconds it went from dull black to bright blue, matching the rest of the ruin. Runes began appearing on its crystal surface, along with images of the desert surrounding them.

"What?" Carmine marveled at the device, reaching for it as Jordan kept it out of reach.

"See? Lodestone. We have plenty of them back in Edrinock. Better than having books as thick as your skull if you ask me."

"What do they do? How?"

"Do I look like I care how these work?" Jordan tossed the tablet, the ancient, possibly priceless artifact, back at Carmine. "They're just books by a different name."

"But books are important!"

"Not worth getting killed over, kid." Jordan jabbed a finger in Carmine's face. "Don't fucking go off again." He sneered, sighing out his frustration as he turned back to the entrance.

Carmine glared back, most angry at the fact she had no retort. This place may have been hundreds, maybe even thousands of years old, but it was all new to Carmine.

And all this knowledge even more so.

At least now she'd have better company than Jordan. Even in this small room, she'd have enough to read for hours.

Now...she just needed to figure out how to get down.