A wind blew against Nico's hair, sending her twintails into pendulum swings that continued to move as long as the wind kept blowing. It was almost as if the wind was dancing along to the music that came from the tower. The wind had a life of its own, and it's birth came from the way the notes connected.
The light notes were accompanied by small brisk winds and whenever the tone of the piano changed, so did the actions of the wind. The heavier tones blew gusts at Nico that chilled her body despite the rays of sun that beamed on her skin. She looked around for any possible sources of the music other than the tower but it was useless, there was without a doubt, music coming from the tower, "Maybe there's an entrance somewhere?"
She glanced down at the rabbit in her arms and held it tight enough to avoid hurting it before pacing around the base of the tower. As far as she could observe, there was no way into the tower from where she was. Nico sighed and took a seat against a nearby tree, letting the rabbit run free from her arms, "There's no way in except for that window, I guess."
She pulled out her dagger and checked it over. Despite how sharp it was, there was no way she would be able to scale the side of the tower with it before it would snap in two. She sighed again and opened up her backpack to go over what she had collected.
There were numerous amounts of herbs left inside that she needed to bring back home to her family, "I should return home before it gets too late. Mommy must be worried that I didn't return yesterday…" her body shivered at the thought of how her mother would react when she walked through that door.
Nico shook her head and beckoned the rabbit over to her, "Come on little guy, we have to get moving," she opened up her bag and the rabbit climbed back inside as instructed. She glanced up at the window once more before leaving, the music had long since stopped and the only thing she could hear were the waves from the pond and the rustling of leaves from the swaying trees.
Before leaving, Nico made sure to take note of her surroundings. Her curiosity for the tower nagged at her and it would wreck her mind knowing that there could be something hidden in it.
The trip home wasn't very far, it would take at most half a day which was standard for Nico at this point. She had been sent on herb collecting missions from her mother on multiple occasions, but this was the first time she ran into trouble and didn't return home the same day.
"I hope Mommy is okay with keeping you at our home, you'll love it! The little ones could use your company," Nico stated. She looked forward at the forest around her. She avoided taking any main roads just as her mother always suggested to avoid any dangerous encounters with bandits or curious law enforcers.
She always did prefer the crunch of leaves and branches underneath her feet over the padded sounds that were made on the dirt and gravel roads. There was more than just the benefit of avoiding danger, but the scenery and ambient sounds of the forest held a natural calmness to it that she appreciated.
"And here we are!" Nico announced to the rabbit. She stuck her hands through a large grove and pulled it apart just enough for her to slip through. Once she was in the clearing, a small house stood in an open circular field surrounded by an extension of the grove she had walked through just a second ago.
She glanced through the windows of the house and made eye contact with her mother almost immediately. The older woman seemed to gasp and quickly disappeared from the window, only to burst through the front door, "Nico! Where have you been?!" The raven haired mother stormed forward and brought Nico in for a tight hug, "I was so worried about you!"
Nico calmed her nervous expression and began petting the back of her mother to help calm her down, "I'm okay Mommy."
The mother separated the two of them at an arm's length and began inspecting her daughter, the first thing that caught her eye was the bandage wrapped around her daughter's head, "What in the maker's name happened to you?" She stepped forward and slightly fiddled around with the bandaging.
Nico responded to her mother by grasping her hands and taking a small step backwards, "I hit my head, but it's something you shouldn't worry about. I used some herbs to heal the wound, just like you taught me."
"And what of everything else? Your clothes are torn and tattered, you've got scratches and blisters all over your arms and your face, how would you explain that? Were you attacked by bandits?" Nico's mother asked. Her barrage of questions sent Nico off balance, but she was able to keep on her feet and resist it.
"I was just gathering herbs like usual but then I got attacked by a pack of wolves," Nico decided to tell the truth of the story. She slid her backpack off and brought it up to her mother, showing the rabbit inside, "I found him injured in the forest and when I tended to his wounds, that's when we were attacked by them."
Nico's mother lowered her face closer toward the rabbit and pet it's head softly, playing with its ears gently between her fingers, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"I'm fine Mommy, it was worth the trip," Nico knelt down and let the rabbit out of the bag before spreading it open to present the contents to her mother, "Look! I found a bunch of herbs that you wanted and more!"
Her mother knelt down next to her and hugged her gently, softly brushing the back of Nico's head, "Good job, honey. Don't risk the visit to the area of the forest you went for these herbs again, okay?"
Nico responded with a subtle nod and closed the bag, "Hey Mommy? Do you mind if we keep the rabbit with us?"
Nico's mother tilted her head in question, "What use do we have for a rabbit?"
Nico shrugged in response, she didn't exactly have a reasoning planned out for keeping the rabbit, "It needs a place to recover and I think the kids would enjoy having a pet around, wouldn't you agree?"
She heard her mother sigh, "I suppose you're right, the kids have been all over me lately while you're out."
Nico giggled and stopped when a thought crossed her mind, "Hey Mommy? Would you happen to have any climbing gear of some sort from your old days?"
"I'm not that old…" her mother spat, "Can I ask why you need something like climbing gear? You don't plan on going up the mountains, do you? You know what I said about the mountains."
"Relax Mommy, I saw this tower and music was playing from it. I checked around and there was no entrance except for a window near the top," Nico explained.
"No! Absolutely not!" her mother objected.
"Oh come on Mommy, you don't have a use for that gear anymore," Nico tried to reason.
Her mother began walking back to the house and Nico followed after her step by step, "I understand that you are curious, but there is too much danger."
Nico frowned, "What can be so dangerous about a musical tower?"
"Only the maker knows! Traps, guards, evil spirits, maybe even bandits!" she started listing off.
"But Mommy, there was a piano! I don't think any of those brutes would be able to play such calming and gentle music," Nico replied.
Her mother slammed her palm against the front door and faced Nico with a hint of anger in her eyes, "Listen to your mother, Nico! I don't want you going near that tower!"
Nico's jaw dropped from her mother's sudden outburst and nodded her head slowly, "F-Fine… I understand…"
Her mother took a deep breath and fixed up the strands of hair that fell onto her face, "Good… Now, what would you like to have for dinner?"
Nico laid awake in her small bed staring at the ceiling. Images of the tower flashed every time her thoughts waved across them and only drove her desire to explore it further. She had to blame her mother for the curious spirit she inherited.
Before Nico was born, her mother was known as an adventurer or treasure hunter which led to her being a target. It explains why she was always cautious about bandits and why they live in such a secluded area.
Before she was born, her father had left for a long journey to the west in search of some golden chalice, and there hasn't been word from him ever since. He left her mother alone for 19 years and there was probably a good chance that he died or found a new life in the west.
Nico stretched in her bed and tossed onto her side to glance out the window. Despite having a fenced grove to keep their home hidden from curious eyes, there was a clear view of the night sky. She used to enjoy laying out in the grass and pointing out the stars when she was a young girl.
Her mother always told her stories of the past. Her adventures and her father were always the subject of matter during these nights.
She let a sigh escape her lips and made a few clicking noises with her mouth to entertain herself despite it only lasting a split second. She kept at it until she couldn't stand pushing her curiousity away any longer.
Nico raised to her feet and began changing into her traveling clothes. She moved quietly to pack herself a few emergency rations and her canteen before sneaking out through her window and towards the shed connected to the house.
The shed was dark, but she reached up along the door frame to grab a hefty looking lantern and shook it up, causing small lights to begin appearing. Before long, hundreds of small lights bounced around in the lantern creating a glow bright enough for her to navigate through the shed.
"Thanks for the help, little guys," Nico said with a smile. The reason why the lantern was so large was because it housed a large amount of fireflies with a food source to keep them alive.
She stepped her way around the many boxes on the ground and towards a chest near the far left wall that was surrounded by many more boxes. Luckily, the lighter boxes were placed on top so she could easily move them out of the way and climb over the ones she couldn't lift.
When she reached the chest, she undid the lock and opened it to reveal a large array of gear that her mother had kept after retiring from adventuring. There were numerous armor sets ranging from cloth to steel and a few sets of weapons that remained sheathed.
"Hmm… Ahh, there it is!" Nico reached into the chest to grab a rope with a three pronged hook attached to the end of it, "This should help me get up there."
Nico lowered the lid of the chest carefully until it shut quietly before locking it again and making her way out the door. She left the firefly lamp where it was before and closed the shed door quietly.
The sound of rustling grass put her on full alert and she twisted her body to face the direction behind her. By her feet was the rabbit that she had saved the night before, "Oh hey little fella," she knelt down and pet the rabbit softly, "Do you want to come with me too?"
The rabbit ran circles around Nico's feet and she giggled lightly, "Alright then, climb in," she said with the bag opened. The rabbit hopped in and just like before it's head popped into sight in a second, "I think I'll call you Umi from now on."
The rabbit seemed to accept it's new name and was swung with the bag over to Nico's back, "Let's hurry before the sun comes up. Mommy will become a demon if she finds out that we went against her wishes."
Maki jerked awake and looked up at the window. A faint light managed to creep its way inside, signalling to her that nighttime had fallen.
She yawned and sat up, her throat was dry naturally from the way she slept with her mouth slightly gaped. She squinted and glanced around to adjust her night vision before spotting what appeared to be dinner near the slot.
She got up and took a seat next to it, crossing her legs and placing her hands together to give a small grace. It was a fairly basic dinner, it had all the required nutrients needed to maintain a healthy diet. The glasses of water were a nice addition since her throat was dry, but once she finished everything, she pushed the empty kitchenware towards the slot for retrieval.
She let out a sigh and moved over to her piano, "I guess Moonlight Sonata would be an appropriate tune to play now…" She yawned one last time before her fingers began moving on their own.
Nico immediately picked up the pace and headed towards the direction she came from earlier today. With her natural nimble movements, she was able to reach the tower much faster than she did during her last visit.
When she reached the base of the tower, she could hear the faint sound of the piano she had heard before. She slung the backpack down gently and helped the rabbit out before digging for the climbing gear.
She pulled out the hook and rope and stood up straight, "Alright, I think I have to tie it around me first…" She took the free end of the rope and looped it around her body twice before tucking it in between the loops. Nico pulled hard until she felt a tightness around her hips, "Alright, I think that should be good…"
She bent down to pick up the backpack and the rabbit quickly returned to her side to avoid being left behind, "Oops, sorry Umi," she allowed it in before putting her backpack on.
"Okay… this should be easy…" Nico began swinging the rope in a circular motion and watched as the hook naturally pulled against the rope to counter her swinging. She let go of the rope and watched it arch upwards, missing the target by a long shot, "I missed…"
She sighed and began swinging the rope again, "Come on… I can do this…" she spun the rope faster and let go at the right time. The hook soared upwards and firmly latched on to the edge of the window, "Yes!"
Nico jumped in celebration, "Okay, now let's scale ourselves a wall!" She gave herself a mental pep-talk and placed her feet firmly against the stone tower. She pulled tightly on the rope until she could see her hands go white and lifted one foot up at a time, "This is… tough…"
Nico struggled to scale up the wall, but thanks to her endurance from running and gathering, she was able to hold on without falling. She neared the edge of the window before she heard a crumbling sound. She pulled hard to get a hold of the windowsill before the outer edge where the hook latched onto gave away, "Holy moley that was too close!"
She wiped away her sweat and used her free hand to pull the hook back up so she could hook it back on for when she needed to leave the tower, "Alright, now we just hook it here an-"
She felt a small but heavy object hit the back of her head, catching her off guard and losing her grip, "Oh my ma-" Nico managed to toss the hook in before she began plummeting towards the ground. At this height, she could easily break her bones and be left for dead.
"Come on, please catch onto something!" Nico started rotating her leg around the rope in hopes to shorten the length to avoid smashing her body against the ground.
She felt a violent tug and tightening around her leg, causing her to scream out in pain before her body reacted to the natural laws of physics. The hook managed to find an anchor point, but as a price, Nico smashed the back of her head against the stone tower, knocking her out instantly.
"What the heck was that?!" Maki's body shook in fear after she saw a monster trying to climb through the window.
She quickly ran for the book she had thrown earlier and held it tightly, "If it comes back, I just have to throw this at it again, right?!"
Maki could feel her heart pounding like it never had before. Her body heated up as the natural effects of adrenaline ran through her body, "I'm scared…"
The redhead backed away as far as she could from the window until her back bumped against a wall. Her legs gave out and she slowly sunk to the ground, clutching the book in her arms like a frightened child, "It had such long floppy ears…"
Nico slowly awoke with a pounding headache. Her vision blurred but she could tell that she was suspended upside down in the air, "Ugh… my head…"
She placed her hand against her head in hopes to massage the pain away but was met with a warm and thick liquid instead. She glanced down to see a small pool of blood underneath her and small droplets of blood trickling from her wound.
She glanced up and noticed that hours had passed because of the fact that dusk was starting to arrive, "Ugh…" there was a numbing pain around her leg and she glanced up to see purple binding marks around where the rope was wrapped around her legs.
"By the maker…" She slowly began unwrapping the rope until she had numerous padded footsteps and the low, beastly growls from underneath her. She froze in place, only moving her head to catch a glimpse of what was underneath her.
A pack of wolves, most likely the same pack from the other night, "You guys just don't… give up do you?" her headache began throbbing, if she can't stop the bleeding soon, she would die from the blood loss. However if she were to take the chance, she would be mauled alive by the rabid and hungry wolves stalking her.
Nico mustered up all the strength that she could into her abdominal muscles and pulled until she was able to grab onto the unwinded area of the rope spun around her leg. The harder she pulled, she more relief she received as the tightening around her leg began to loosen.
"Come on Nico… just… keep holding on…" she focused the rest of her strength into her arms and pulled herself up until she managed to flop her stomach onto the window sill, wiping away the sweat from her forehead and letting out a much needed big breath.
A shuffling against her back made her squeal as the rabbit popped its head out, "Oh… Good morning Umi… Glad to see that you're safe…"
The raven haired girl glanced down at the tower, it was very dimly lit and it was hard to make out what was at the bottom, "Just… need to get down there…" Nico weakly grabbed the hook and placed it on the opposite side so she can climb down, "Ahh… it's no good…" she could feel how weak her arms were and came up with a terrible idea once she spotted the open bed right underneath the window.
"Just hang on tight, Umi… I'll try not to crush you…" She waved it off without a second thought and began looping the rope around her body before pushing herself over the edge. As she fell, the rope uncoiled around her body and she fell hard onto the bed, breaking the frame and forcing it onto the ground, "Thank the maker…"
She untied the rope around her and ripped apart her shirt to make for a temporary bandage. She tied it tightly around her head and stood up, "Alright, time to explo-huh?" her vision slowly twisted 90 degrees as she hit the floor and passed out.