*CRASH*
*THUD*
"KEUGH!"
*THUD*
"GAH!"
"OOF!"
Gwin's ears were ringing and his head pounded. He hurt all over, literally. Not a single part of him had been spared from the wrath of crashing into the decrepit city. They had crashed into a tall and opulent building made from black stone and fallen through two sets of rafters like a human pachinko machine which knocked the breath from them before falling a dozen meters to the stone floor below. Its great hall resembled a meeting area with a long wooden table lining its center. The table was ornate and somehow still standing despite the eons it had endured with the exception of several parts where heavy stones had fallen on it and reduced it to dust. Four opulent seats lined it with there seemingly having been seven at one point. Its great hall was completely dark with the exception of dim light flooding in through the hole they had just left.
Standing wearily Gwin closed his eyes and took in the scents and sounds around them. The entire building reeked of nightmare creatures and something rotten yet he couldn't hear anything nearby, however all around him at varying distances the faint sound of rumbling footsteps could be heard through the heavy rain.
'Damn.'
It made sense this city was infested with abominations but a part of him had been hoping it was different. His mind was still spinning from the hope that there were other survivors and quite a bit of them judging from the shacks he had seen. There had to be even more inside the castle!
'A city actually exists here..'
Somehow it had survived the fury of the dark sea for centuries, maybe even millennials! It was comforting knowing he wouldn't have to smell that acrid sea anymore. Its pungent scent had followed him all throughout the hellscape of the crimson labyrinth and he wasn't going to miss it.
Looking around he saw Elena stirring as well. She had been guiding her echo for hours on end, her hands were raw and bleeding from steering her echo and wielding her swords. That battle had truly been one of attrition. Gwin could not even count how many times he had had his tentacles maimed and mutilated which forced him to form more to replace them in his desperate struggle to stay alive. He could hardly keep up with their relentless onslaught despite his sustaining pool of essence. If he hadn't had [Bounty] he would have run out of essence near the beginning of their escape. They must have been flying for nearly two hours according to Gwin's internal clock however it was impossible to know for certain. He was still being drenched by the rain from the hole that their entrance as he lay there still reeling from the toll all of that violence had taken on his mind.
He was lucky he could even still walk right now so he hurriedly took refuge in the dryer parts just like Elena had. To Gwin's surprise the rain itself smelled like natural rain instead of the acrid odor the Black Sea had. He had little brainpower to ponder this difference though.
He summoned the [Kiss of Kesh] and offered it to Elena as he sat by her. She gladly accepted his memory, dipping her hands into the pale cream and sighing with relief as the stone fell off. She turned to face him and smiled.
"We're alive!"
She seemed just as shocked as he was. It was also the first time he had seen her smile like that. He plopped onto his back next to her.
Gwin made the sign for "bird" and then he made loud kissing sounds showing his avian affection.
She chuckled which caused Gwin to chuckle.
The sound caught him off guard as it left his throat.
'I didn't know I could do that.'
It had been the first time since before his first nightmare that he had laughed at anything, well that he could remember at least.
{Is your bird alright?}
"Yeah, I dismissed it right after we landed"
{More like crashed. I feel like I barely survived the landing. Where are we anyways?}
He was still curious how she had found this city.
"I'm not sure either…I saw this place from a distance and it was the only place that seemed relatively safe."
'I don't buy that'
{I think I saw people near the castle}
"You did?"
Her tone was not convincingly surprised enough though, maybe due to exhaustion.
{Yeah, some small huts and stuff. What are we doing next?}
"We will have to wait for tomorrow. I'm not exploring unknown territory in the dark and soaking wet."
After they set up camp ,which consisted of the driest corner they could find and sprawling out, they took turns dismissing their armor and using the rain to wash themselves off. He hissed as cold water flowed over some of the spots where the locust cut him deep. He made sure they were properly washed and left them there. He didn't want to use the [Kiss of Kesh] to close them since it was already running low and it would surely be needed for emergencies soon. Luckily Elena was quite good at stitching and after summoning a thread and needle memory he was patched up after a few excruciating seconds.
'Legacies really do have a trove of memories'
Seeing his pale skin emerge from the black blood felt incredibly satisfying. He soon swapped with Elena before falling to the ground. He focused on his hearing, staying alert despite his exhaustion despite his growing desire to sneak a peak.
Soon Elena emerged from the rain and let him know she was done. He was suddenly really glad he hadn't thought to sneak a peek after seeing her scathing and suspicious glare.
'I just barely survived…I'm not gonna throw my life away for that! She's not even that hot!'
Her crimson hair was wet and hanging in front of her face messily. She sat down next to him. The silence between them was relaxed yet Gwin couldn't help feel stiff.
{Hey, how did you really find this place?}
His hands were sluggish and tired yet she still got the message as he changed the subject. She remained silent for a moment before curtly answering with a hint of reluctance.
"I used my flaw"
Gwin gave her an unimpressed look which seemed to annoy her.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
{Too many secrets.}
"Aren't you being quite nosy? There's some things you are better off not knowing. You should be careful that your curiosity doesn't get you killed."
'Now she wants to act like a proper legacy? That's not fooling me. She's really just a brutish thug who snores in her sleep!'
He had grown too used to her to be disillusioned and intimidated by her status anymore so he was feeling extra confident right now.
{Is your flaw really that bad? Maybe it's got something to do with your awful personality.}
Silence…then *POW*.
"How does someone who can't speak have such a big mouth?"
She hissed while Gwin rubbed the whelp on the back of his head. He quickly retorted by swinging at her delicate mouth full force.
*POW*
'Huh?'
His fist was stinging. Had he really just hit her? Elena's head had turned from the force of the blow and Gwin saw a faint trickle of blood from her nose.
"HA!"
He chuckled out loud before being silenced by a swift punch. Elena pounced on him, taking a handful of his hair and started punching him while using his hair as an anchor for each blow. Gwin met her attack by rolling over and switching roles. He grabbed a handful of her hair and decided to use this chance to finally see her eyes she always covered. It was just the simple and vindictive desire to reveal something she had wanted to keep hidden that fueled him.
His hand pushed against the bridge of her nose before sweeping up her face and revealing her eyes for the first time. Gwin was taken aback by what he saw.
Her eyes did not have any white in them, instead it was like the entirety of her eye was covered by several rings of her pupil. A dark line separated each pupil giving it a bewitching and unnatural look.
Her bright yellow eyes seemed to take in the entire world.
"Agh!"
Elena groaned while squeezing her eyes shut. Gwin released his hold over her exhausted body and fell next to her still reeling from her blows. Thankfully they were both exhausted so neither of them did real damage despite their vindictive motives.
Gwin just lay there while looking at her. He had an idea as to what her flaw was now.
"You are not to tell anyone what you just saw."
She called out while still pressing her hands to her eyes.
{How would I}
He tried to lighten the mood with his hands only to realize she wasn't looking. Why did he feel almost guilty right now? He pushed away his guilt after faintly recalling every bruise and whelp she had given him but his softness got the better of him in the end and he summoned the [Kiss of Kesh]. He pressed its cool metal surface against her cheek.
She flinched at the sudden coolness before taking it and applying two small daps to her eyelids. She lay there quietly for a few moments as the milky cream condensed to stone.
Gwin couldn't help but take in her face as much as he could before she hid it under her hair again. She had a round button nose and defined cheekbones that accentuated her face without being too prominent. Her lashes were very long and crimson with the outer ends being even longer. Her skin was bruised and her lip was slightly cut from their earlier brawl which filled Gwin with an unexplainable feeling in his chest as he gazed at her lithe figure.
'She's kinda pretty…WHAT AM I THINKING?!'
He tried to expunge the sacrilege thought from his head just as Elena shifted in front of him. His attention immediately snapped to her. She picked the two stony scabs from her eyes and swept her thick bangs in front of her face again before speaking.
"If news of my eyes gets out I will hunt you down and chop off you-"
"Ah! Ah!"
Gwin cut her off hurriedly. He could piece together what exactly she was threatening to chop off so there was no need for her to say it aloud and jinx something into existence. Gwin nodded and moved his hands.
{I get it, I get it!}
Her head tilted in his direction as if sparing him last last glance before she began snoring loudly. It seemed he had volunteered somehow for the first watch.
'If we die we die.'
He thought to himself as he let sleep take over him as well. He was frankly too tired to care right now.