"You're a grave robber?"
"No!" she yelps. "It's not like that."
"And yet..." I start, trailing off and letting her explain.
"I need a corestone."
What's a corestone? Before I could ask, my guide, Sola, chimes in.
"Humans employ corestones to use magic. Think of them like Vessels anyone can use. A true Vessel is much more powerful, of course..."
"So you're a Magician?" I say casually, emboldened by my new tidbit of knowledge.
"Gods, no," she laughs. "I'm just like anyone else. I've never used any magic before."
"So what do you need a corestone for?"
"It's too much to get into with a stranger," she shoots back. "Lady Amaranda was buried with a corestone. As the Magician of Dark Wind, the corestone should have absorbed some of her power...with it, I could use Spectral Magic.
I squint at her for a moment. Sola, I might need a little bit of context.
"Of course, August. All humans are born with a blessing, even if they can't use magic. With a corestone, they are able to learn to harness their power, but the stones are quite rare. Perhaps this Lady Amaranda and Larissa have similar blessings, and Larissa hopes to steal some of the late Amaranda's power?
That makes sense, I think. Thanks, Sola.
I look back to Larissa. Hopefully I wasn't idle for too long. I give her a quick, reassuring smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she says, turning her head away and blushing.
I bite my lip and refuse the urge to flirt. I have a girl waiting for me back on the moon.
"So, you need help?"
She opens her mouth to say something, but looks confused.
"I'll help you rob a grave, and you help me find the nearest earth shrine. Deal?"
Larissa turns her head to the side again. She looks bothered by something. Her eyes start to water as she gives me an angry look. It looks like she's about to say something. About to burst...
I jump back, startled by a loud noise - then realize that Larissa just sneezed. So that's what the look was about. She was trying to hold in a sneeze.
"Adorable," I snicker, the corners of my mouth curling up into a sheepish grin.
"Shut up," she snaps. "I can accept your deal. I happen to know where the nearest earth shrine is."
Anothrr lucky break! If she's serious, anyway. Though I'm not excited about defiling human corpses, I suppose it's the price I have to pay for some help navigating. A shame my GUIDE couldn't bring me there.
"August, I am here to give direction, not directions."
Hah. Good one, Sola.
"So where are these graves?"
Larissa scoffs and gives a rare smile. "We're close. Follow me."
We trek a bit of a way through the woods, coming to a clearing. An angular stone maw erupts from the ground, and a staircase leads down below into the earth. It seems dark down there, but I don't mind. If I'm being honest, the bright sun has been bothering me. I'm not used to such light. We descend into the darkness, my eyes taking a little longer than normal to adjust to the blackness. I continue downward when I notice Larissa has stopped following me.
I turn back at her, wondering why she stopped. She makes a noise when I look at her.
"Your eyes!" she gasps. "They're glowing!"
"Yours are not," I remark. "Wait, can humans not see in the dark?"
"No..."
"If you can't see in the dark, how did you expect to-"
"Shut up! I was just scouting this place out, okay? I wasn't necessarily going to even go down here today!"
She doesn't like to be wrong, does she? Or admit any fault? Sounds like someone else I know...
"I can see down here fine," I say. "Why don't I check it out? You can stay here and keep watch."
"O-okay..." Larissa shifts uneasily. "It should be the crypt of Lady Amaranda. They keep their valuables in small boxes over their sarcophagi."
"I assume grave robbing isn't a common thing for humans to do? Otherwise, wouldn't all the valuables be gone?"
Larissa bites her tongue. "This wasn't an easy place to get into. We're already past three levels of security. I doubt anyone's been here but us. No other thieves, anyway.
So I'm a thief, now? Seems the corrupt ways of humans didn't take long to infect me at all. Still, vulnerable as I am, I can't afford to take any chances. At least I won't have to see a dead body.
I wave her off. "I'll be back with your little rock soon!" I chirp as I descend deeper into the darkness.
"Do you even know what you're looking for!?" she shouts back at me.
No, but I'll figure it out. Plus, I have Sola to help me figure it out.
"August, I know we haven't known each other for a long time, but for the record I am against grave robbing."
Yeah, yeah, Sola. Me too. But Larissa has been helpful so far, and she doesn't seem like an evil person. I assume she's got her reasons for needing this.
I reach the bottom level. It's dark down here. Dark enough that even I have a little trouble seeing. I focus on narrowing my eyes and focusing on the darkness. My eyes shine a bit brighter as I read the words on the tombs around me.
"Saramanca...no...Lustella...who the hell is coming up with the names for this royal family?"
I turn my eyes around the corner of the crypt and read one more engraving. It's dark, but it looks roughly like "Amaranda". I guess this is the place.
I step up to the tomb, feeling a bit weird about it. Sure enough, there is a shelf on top. I feel around up there and recover a small metal box. It takes me a second to figure out how to open it, but when I do, I am greeted with a brilliant blue jewel. This must be a corestone.
I take it and pocket it - the cloak Larissa lent me is full of little pockets. Ready to go, I place my hand on top of the sarcophagi and pay my respects.
"Lady Amaranda, sorry about this one. Your boy needs some directions, and something tells me you won't be needing this anymore. Being dead and all."
I take a step away, feeling like my words would do wonders to dispel any lurking or lingering 'bad juju' that I might have incurred by coming down here. I start walking back up the long stairs to the surface, and before I can see the light, I hear a loud scream - and it sounds like Larissa.