"It didn't say that." Rhyss glared at her around Heln.
"Oh really? Well, it probably should have."
"I don't even think half of what you said were real words."
"Well, maybe they should be."
"Look I'm sorry I broke the door, okay? I didn't mean to." Rhyss didn't look at all sorry. "I thought that the seals would be stronger so I may have overdone it a little bit."
"Wow, Rhyss, and you're usually so reserved." Heln nearly tripped when she almost smiled at that. "It's done, Bel, we just have to… hope this is the right way. And if it's not then I'm very sorry."
"Well, it's not your fault." Bel folded her arms. "It's not actually anyone's fault. Probably. I just… I feel like this is the right way, but I have a bad feeling, too. It's just, y'know, sealing scripts are usually set in place for a reason. Usually the reason is preservation these days but… oh man, oh man what if there are dead bodies down here? I have dealt with enough. I am not dealing with dead bodies. Or the undead. Especially not the undead."
"Well, how about you practice being quiet just in case of zombies?" Rhyss did smile this time, but in a way that made Heln wish they were walking single file again. He preferred being behind her, where it was much harder for her to hit him or something else equally unpleasant to happen.
"Okay, first off, zombies are fictional. Flesh constructs, however aren't! Those are a thing! Second of all, me talking after you knocked a stone door down is really what's going to get us killed." Bel gestured wildly with her hands. "Third, I think they'd hunt by scent, not by sound, so it doesn't matter how loud I am, we're the only tasty morsels down here."
"Please let that go."
"Oh, like you let the door go?"
"I apologized for that."
"You did, so now don't tell me I can't talk."
Heln decided to ignore the continued flirting between them and extended his senses instead. Anything he could find in here would provide both more vital and more interesting information to him. He doubted that there was any variety of undead in the tunnels, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared for anything. There was so much magic, it was hard to pinpoint one particular thing. The illumination bubbles stood out because they were new, warm and calming. Bel's signature was familiar and Rhyss's was much gentler than she was. His light stick still felt like his dad's magic and so did Bel's crystal. Rhyss's guard plate was a bare trace of magic in comparison. He yanked his awareness away from them.
Nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. As far as he could tell, so at least there was one good thing. It was possible they were too far away from whoever or whatever had sent them in the first place. Especially if Bel's theory was right. The cavern with the trees had been enormous, and they were deeper than they had been at any other point, he could feel it, like every ounce of dirt above them was pressing against his awareness.
Something touched his shoulder and he yelped and stepped back into Rhyss, who pushed him forward again. He stayed on his feet, somehow, but it was a close thing.
Bel snatched her hand back, her eyes wide. "Sorry. I was just going to ask if you felt anything."
"No, it's okay." He shook his head like he was trying to clear cobwebs. His brain felt like it was wrapped in cotton from the cocoon of magic around them. "I was… well, actually I don't sense anything. There's just too much magic, it's like… trying to see in thick fog."
Rhyss and Bel nodded like they understood, but Heln used to live next to a river in the industry sector. Whenever the wind had changed direction, the steam and smoke from the factories would drift sluggishly through the streets, turning the world into a muted, ghostly wonderland of milky-white. He'd had to wear a cloth over his face when that happened. Just stepping into it had meant that every part of him was damp almost instantly.
That was exactly what the magic in these tunnels felt like.
"I'm not going to be any help, I need my shields to be up around here." He rubbed the bridge of his nose, shoving his glasses up into his hair. Without them the world became a little fuzzier and that seemed to help the headache forming directly behind his eyes. Pulling up his shields helped even more. "Sorry, Rhyss."
"Well, you did find the tunnel." Rhyss conceded. "As a Guard Trainee I need to be ready for everything at all times, not just whenever my friend tells me to be."
"Aww, we're friends?" He grinned at her, not able to help poking just a little bit of fun at her. She took herself far too seriously.
She, of course, punched his shoulder in what she probably thought was a gentle show of camaraderie. "We jumped down a stairwell together, of course we're friends."
"I was actually trying to forget that…" Heln rubbed the spot and hoped that his arm going numb was temporary. Poking fun at her was really not worth it at all. He had no idea how Bel kept it up. At least they were friends, he'd hate to know how hard she punched her enemies.
"You'll live. Now stop distracting me."
Even Bel went quiet, apparently lost in thought. Heln would have rather kept up the weird conversation, he hated the way the silence seemed to be waiting to descend upon them.
The tunnel was darker than it had been and not just because the entrance and the eddying mists
