Luz and Hunter spent most of the daylight researching and finding out the meaning of the room. Why was it made, and why did Belos use it? They both were looking at each other with weary looks as Luz managed to pull down one of the big tan drapes covering a huge wallboard that spanned like a window. Dust particles came flickering and twisting like little sparkles, and Hunter looked up. "Woah." He said, taking a few steps forward.
Luz traced her hand over the board, noticing the various symbols and scrolls covered - she stepped back in awe of the boards. And had a pretty ingenious idea, and pulled out her phone from her small bag, handed it over her shoulder, and snapped a quick picture. "This is definitely something worth noting," She mumbled.
"I still don't get it," His head swiveled. "Why would Belos be researching something this vague?"
"He obviously had the information," Luz observed, scanning the scrolls with her phone. Her phone snapped at the images on the board.
"So, about this morning," Hunter abruptly changed the subject, as it came back in pace. "You said you knew about the cure." He paused. "How?"
Luz's arms dropped to their sides for a moment, her back turned and hunched over the desk. "It's a long story," She said dryly, resuming her scouring.
"How long?" He pressed, setting down a small handheld globe.
She huffed in reply to his prodding and shook her head. "We need three things."
"And those are?" Hunter leaned in, eager.
"A Gloom Howler, Sprite Blood, and..." She trailed off for a moment as if she was having problems recalling the last ingredient. "...something else."
His curiosity soon flushed from his expression. "What is the last one?" he asked, "Because the first one is right here."
Luz's eyes brightened from their dark fog. "What?"
Hunter pointed. "Right there, on the board. Gloomadrial Howelimani."
She gasped, and a small grin plastered Hunter's face. She quickly grabbed the scroll that was nailed to the board and rolled it up in her hand. "That saves us a lot of time."
"No kidding," he agreed. Hunter coughed up some of the dust, and blew out the leftover air in his lungs; confusion had pecked at his mind, once he realized that the brush was falling from the ceiling. Not wanting to look up, he just brushed it off as the place was old and dilapidated. But a wave of unease was more than noticeable. "Hey Luz?" he questioned, looking around more frequently.
Luz took a moment, and she got up, hands on her hips as she organized the room. "Yeah?" She questioned, her golden eyes sparkling off the sunset light. A more soft glow came off her dark navy furr.
"Is it just me," He turned his back defensively against Luz. "or am I the only one feeling like we're being watched?"
Hunter sniffed the air, inhaling the musk - his eyes darted around on high alert.
"Agreed," Luz replied, her arm outstretched upwards, ready to cast any needed spell when the time was right.
He shook his head violently, "What the hell could it possibly be? This place is ru—"
Suddenly, without warning, a loud and ear-drum-destroying scream came and dropped from the ceiling.
'WHAT THE—" Hunter gasped, his head pivoted to meet a tall, stone-colored, and textured creature. Luz had told everyone (Including Eda) of stories for when she'd gone back to where King was found - and to where they met his Guardian, Jean-Luc was protecting him even to that day. The thing slinked down like a stone predator, and it's crescent-shaped head and beastly yellow irises stared them both down.
Luz and Hunter were frozen, and Hunter's feet dawdled towards her side. The Guardian, who also wasn't moving, twitched in what could've only been eagerness.
Luz didn't move her head to meet his terrified eyes; her teeth clenched into a low whisper. "On my count," She started, waddling back near one of the tables. Littered with items... sharp items. "We run."
Hunter also didn't move his glued gaze to the being eyes, as it stalked forward. Waiting.
He felt his hip bump the back corner of the side table, and within a few instants, it charged with ground-shattering speed. "Now!" Luz screamed, and her arm swung in defense. She'd not only stalled for Hunter to get a head start to escape - but it gave time for Luz to summon Stringbean to her side. She used the wooden staff of her palaceman as the being pressed down in a powerful blow.
The Guardian became persistent as its eyes glowed with a deep hue, its gaze locking onto the phone Hunter was running within offhand down the corridors. "Hunter!" Luz yelped, following from behind as the Guardian drilled behind, its claws digging into the walls as they crumbled. "Don't let it get the phone!" She screamed, her lungs throbbing as cold wind blew through her face.
The Guardian continued to pull the chase from behind as Hunter was coming into a fork. He quickly peeked around one of the corners, and teleported in a yellow flash to gain some distance between himself and the being chasing him. It slid on the bright red and gold tassel rug, swinging onto the corner - it gripped the stone debris and propelled itself forward.
Luz, tracking not too far behind, got onto Stringbean as she sped as fast as she could, her irises gleaning a bright golden hue. Stringbean began to speed up, as a boom echoed through the hollow castle, and she slammed her trail of her staff into the head of the Guardian. "Go! GO!" She ordered, making a circle with her hand as the glow around her eyes and chest decal had sparkled bright yellow and purple. The fallen rocks and boulders had propelled into the persistent, and malevolent Guardian; it didn't even stop. Its body twisted and contorted to a thick plank, squeezing itself into the small opening between the two fast projectiles. They collided, creating a rain of pebbles and dust.
They couldn't see anything ahead of them, adrenaline was their only guidance.
With Luz's quick thinking, she got back onto Stringbean, who had already transformed back into her base staff form, and grabbed Hunter by the scruff of his shirt. He yelped from the sudden movement, as now they were flying at impeccable speeds, with no way of direction.
Hunter didn't know where they were flying too, only until they passed the same picture frame he'd remember passing.
They were by the front dining hall, only a few turns away from the throne room. "Take a right!" He yelled, holding on for dear life, hearing the scratches of the ceiling-crawling-not-so-nice-friend.
Luz wanted to question it, but looked back from the rolling storm of dust following them. "What?!"
"Just do it!" His eyes threw his gaze off, and Luz instinctively followed his arm that was thrown out. His weight shifted on the palaceman, as Luz was just following his leans. Trust in him with more than just her life. "C'mon, c'mon.." He leaned into the staff as they scored through, and she could only see a wall ahead.
"Hunter..." She said, leaning back as they closed down the hallway. "Hunter that is a wall!" She gasped, feeling him leaning even more into the staff, their speed greatly increasing.
He wasn't even looking back, and with the Guardian not too far behind, she closed her eyes, preying he had a reasonable plan. or just a plan in general. His eyes narrowed, and locked in ahead, as he took a deep breath.
I just need to find it. He prodded in his mind, letting out a soft exhale.
That's when Luz noticed that a few small flickers of gold began to emanate from his hands, expanding in a halo around his whole body and herself. A faint whirring was coming from the amount of energy he was radiating.
She felt his shoulders relax from the constant pressure and stress of their possible doom, and his eyes opened. And his irises were flushed with bright golds.
Luz thought they were going to make contact with the wall...
...one hundred feet...
...fifty...
...ten...
But she didn't feel anything, like she was suddenly floating in space, like time stopped. She couldn't even explain the feeling of the teleportation. As she watched her body quickly be pulled in a bright flash of gold sparkles and white glint. Everything was just foggy, and her ears throbbed if a grenade had just exploded right next to her face. She couldn't manage any words, her lungs were deflated, and her eyes slowly peeled open.
Hunter was sitting right in front of her, steering with his back only stiffened and straight. He started to lean to the side, and Luz quickly pulled her arm to catch him as they coasted high up in the air. "Hunter!"