Kadabra shook her head and floated down to the wreckage. The purple miasma curled about the surface of an invisible sphere centered around the kitsune, an outline of the interior's pure air.
"Incident report two," Her pen resumed dictation. "Two unknown entities were regurgitated from a chamber in the ground along with a large number of projectile acid shots."
Have I not woken yet?
She levitated over the cavern and her pen sped to a blur, humming like an engine, conjuring a visual replica of the scene upon the pages. Kadabra finished her drawing with a signature: thin, practiced calligraphy.
The sword and statue began to drift towards the fox lady, dangling in the air with grime crumbling away. "The entities have been identified as a Honedge and a Golett. "
A fresh bottle wormed out of her bag, sampled some of the ooze, and hovered to the kitsune's eyelevel. She paused, her gaze wandering up and to the left as she twittled her mustache between thumb and forefinger.
"I suspect this incident is connected to area three's contamination as-"
The light in the statue's eyes returned and they began squirming in the air. "Hey! Put me down!" She released Golett and they landed on their back in a pile of mud, splashing droplets onto the invisible spheric barrier.
"Apologies." Her pen continued dictating and her eyes narrowed. She reached out with her mind and gently soothed Golett's emotions, targeting growing repudiation. "What happened here?"
The statue rolled to their hands and knees and glanced at the Honedge "A Trevanent caught us."
I've been dreaming for hours now.
"A Trevanent?" Kadabra raised one eyebrow and scanned the area to her left and right.
Golett rose to one knee and shook their head. "Y'know, those tree ghouls." They heaved themself to their feet, wobbling backwards before stabilizing with a wave of their arms.
Kadabra's brow twitched slightly downwards. "That doesn't explain why you were underground."
"We were eaten."
Am I in a coma? The Honedge began to whimper, fresh tears streaming from his closed eye.
Golett glanced down at the weapon. "Honedge?". They stiffened, glanced at the kitsune, and then back at the sword.
Kadabra rolled her eyes and folded her hand together. "Would you be interested in continuing this conversation along the walk to base camp?"
Golett brushed their gauntlets together, keeping their eyes on the weapon. "Well… "
The fox lady reached again for Golett's emotions, now amplifying curiosity. They met her gaze. "No. However, I was hoping I could leave Honedge under your care."
Not the effect I was expecting, but I'll take who I can get.
"Why?" A third slice of apple drifted close to Kadabra's face. She watched the fruit snack twirl through the air. "You two seem to have a handle on life." her eyes flicked to the subterranean stomach.
"I can't care for them while continuing my boulder chain. "
Kadabra's eyes widened as she leaned forward, mustache twitching. "Boulder… chain?"
Golett's straightened their posture and put their hands on their hips."Yeah."
"The one stretching from the Heartland all the way to these Ashcrags? "
"That's the one."
"You built that?"
"I've been working on it for as long as I can remember."
Kadabra rubbed her chin and her eyes fell to a half digested Murkrow, liquified guts puddling near the roots of a tree. The fleshy fauna began to stir, tentacles stretching towards the carcass. The kitsune averted her gaze, hair rising on the nape of her neck.
"I want information."
"What?" The statue took a step back.
"I'll train Honedge to fend for themself, but you will pay me daily with stories of your life in Bagba Zule."
Golett watched the ashstorms begin to buffet a nearby peak. They turned, looked up the valley, then sighed. "What is this base camp?"
A small smile crept across Kadabra's face as she finally ate her apple slice. Checkmate.