A subtle whirring noise could be heard as a flash of metal zipped across the air, slowing to a near stop before circling back around and flying back in the direction it came from. A gauntlet-covered arm would reach out, grabbing the shield before the owner pivoted on their feet and threw the shield back out to repeat the cycle.

This time on the return trip, Runa would grip their sword, tossing it towards the shield as it made its comeback. It flew towards the sheathe embedded within the shield, but missed its mark, metal clanging against metal as both shield and sword now flew through the air. Runa would catch their shield just in time to block the sword as it bounced, landing on the floor behind them with a loud thud.

"Drat, I'll get it one of these days..." Runa muttered to themself, walking to pick up the blade before they slid it into the sheathe within the shield. It was overly stylish, and not exactly a practical technique to use in any real encounter, but damn if it wouldn't help them stand out one day. Besides, it was good practice for controlling the trajectory of their throws.

The recent weeks have been rather strange since their demotion to the night watch for the city guard. The dulled dread of feeling like they were at a dead end was quickly replaced when they met Anora not long after their transfer, and she quickly became their favorite person to pass the time with. All the while, they hadn't encountered any situation since the incident in Bright End that required them to really do anything. Being on the watch was a boring job where nothing happened, yet Runa endeavored to stay on top of their training just in case anything ever did happen.

They saw Anora more often than not on their shifts, and they hoped tonight would be one of those nights. Runa didn't know if the other guards were impressed or annoyed by the new chipper attitude they've brought to work the last few weeks, but they even approached their paperwork with a zeal unbefitting of a place where it felt like your dreams went to die. Signing incident reports with a smile on their face was uncanny, but it was hard not to enjoy life when at least it felt like there was something good still going on.

They were in the middle of reviewing another report from the daytime guards when a voice boomed through the headquarters, causing a smile to appear on Runa's face. It was the same thing every time Anora stopped by, and Runa heard quite a lot of gossip on the way out of the office quite often, but none of it bothered them.

"It is a pleasure to see you as always, Miss Anora." Runa would say as they emerged, their equipment already ready so they could leave immediately. The woman at the front desk shrugged, putting it out of her mind so long as the duo continues to not make any trouble.

"Do you require another escort?"

Anora’s already bright demeanor was amplified tenfold the moment she saw Runa— quite literally, for she was practically glowing. “It’s nice to see you too,” she said, with a quick, half-assed curtsy that was more clumsy than courteous. “Yes, I would love the company.” She said, boldly taking their hand in hers and leading them outside the building.

Runa would notice that for the first time since they met, her veridian Fey wings were free of their typical confines despite being in public, folded neatly behind her at-rest, and cleverly disguised beneath her long hair. Glimpses of familiar green glimmer could be seen between locks of loam brown, but unassuming passersby may not even notice it. She wore a white dress with a black bodice— which was low-cut in the back to allow her wings some much-needed freedom. Their use might be necessary for their little excursion, so she made sure to stretch them appropriately beforehand so that they were functional again, even if they were rather weak and rarely ever saw use.

If Anora was self-conscious about having her wings out in public for the first time in a long time, she didn’t seem to show it.

“We’re going back in the catacombs,” she said with a smile, straight to the point, leading Runa down the road they had walked down to get to the Catacombs weeks ago. “When we were there last, we saw those two figures, right? Admittedly, I didn’t catch much of what they said, but it reeks of rotten suspicion, and I think it’s time we went back and investigated further. I know it was over a fortnight ago, but did you get a glimpse of what they looked like or anything they said?” She inquired, trying her best to recall the incident but falling short. She was quite distracted and dazed at the time, and the two of them had left in a hurry. Despite the rather dreary destination, Anora was practically beaming with the thrill of examining a mystery they left unsolved.

Anora was quick to grab Runa's hand and pull them out of the building. As far as any of the guards were concerned, Runa was always standing guard for Anora's late night studies in the catacombs or journeys into other questionable places in Pont-Ciel. They had only gone to the catacombs the first night they met, where they had nearly run afoul of what appeared to be crypt robbers, so imagine Runa's surprise when Anora stated that they would be heading back there.

"Those two figures?" Runa would repeat, having nearly forgotten about the strange people they heard that night. Runa didn't manage to catch much of a glimpse of them, but they remember hearing two voices distinctly.

"Two people. Male. Likely on the older side. They sounded desperate. Scared." Runa began as they walked. "They didn't say much that left a clue, but they were dragging a rather large sack around... I couldn't get a good view of them from our hiding space."

There were plenty of things a large, ground-pulled sack could've contained. The easiest guess was a body, whether it was fresh or one pulled from the catacombs remained to be seen. The place was full of bodies, after all. It could've been pilfered treasure from the deceased, but Runa didn't think they'd stick around to look for anyone in that instance.

"Are you sure you wish to descend once more, Miss Anora? It could be dangerous." They said, looking up at her as they made their way to their destination, now that they were no longer lost in reverie. It was then that they noticed her wings were exposed.

"Ah, Miss Anora! You let them free!" They exclaimed excitedly, but not so loudly they'd draw in any unnecessary attention in the dead of night.

Anora listened intently to their account of that night, nodding in recollection. She heard that groups like Leverage Inc. sometimes operated through the Catacombs, and they did have headquarters in Argent, but she couldn’t help but feel that something was off about the two figures they encountered. If they ran into them again tonight, Anora felt ready to dive into danger rather than hide again. “I think it’ll be fine,” she brushed off their statement of concern. “Besides, I have you with me, and I think between the two of us we can take a couple of silly geese, right?” She said with an easygoing smile. “We just got caught off-guard last time. This time we’ll be ready.” She clapped her hands together in a show of confidence.

When Runa pointed out her wings, she glanced behind her and gave a flittery flutter. “Oh, yes!” She pulled her hair over one shoulder, allowing her wings to stretch wide. “Do you remember the grate we saw at the top of the center atrium of that area of the Catacombs? I think I know where it is— and I think I can get us in. It gives us the option of a quick entry and escape, though I pray a speedy exit is not needed. It beats walking up and down about a thousand stairs though!” She explained, with the implication that she could fly the two of them down and back up if needed. She didn’t actually know if she was strong enough to do it, but she figured it’d be good practice at the very least.

"The grate at the top?" Runa repeated, thinking about the layout of the catacombs. They hadn't gotten to see much of it in their last sojourn, but they did recall the large center room that connected to every district in Pont-Ciel, complete with the large dome. If it weren't for the fact that Runa knew there were nothing but long-deceased corpses down there, they would've thought the place rather beautiful and a nice place to sit around when they needed a quiet retreat.

Unfortunately, it seemed anything but.

"I think I remember... Wait. Are you implying...?" Runa would look at Anora's wings as she outstretched them, forever mesmerized by how fantastic they appeared. "Miss Anora, are you suggesting we fly in from above?"

Runa recalled the rather off-putting old woman who managed the cemetery that contained the incredibly locked entrance to the catacombs. She was rather scary, and Runa knew full well they wouldn't like to interact with her again if they could help it, in fact it made the blood drain from their face to even think about it, yet it felt strange to think about sneaking in.

Runa couldn't deny what an adventure it sounded like though, it added more of a thrill to the entire thing.

"You've really thought about this. Maybe I should've dressed lighter." Runa joked, thinking about how she would have to lift them and all of their armor up. Could her wings handle such a feat?

Runa asked if she was suggesting a direct descent from above, and Anora gave a confident little wink, stars twinkling in her dark eyes. “Yes! You’ve read my mind exactly.”

Anora too dreaded the thought of another encounter with the dreaded key-keeper of the Catacombs. For all the times it’s been left unlocked for her snooping and perusing of the centuries-old cadavers, coming across a locked gate one time was enough for Anora to immediately become interested in pursuing other means of entry. She didn’t want to have to ask permission every time she wanted to go down there— that lady was scary enough as it is!

Runa commented on their attire, and Anora put a finger to her chin in thought, looking them up and down for a moment. True, their armor would be quite cumbersome…

“You could always strip!” She suggested as if reaching an epiphany, finger pointed to the sky, entirely in earnest.

“In the absolute worst case, there’s only a bottomless pit at the center of the atrium— directly below the grate— to contend with. But I think we will be fine!” She added with a smile.

Wait, did she suggest Runa strip?

Runa looked at Anora dumbfounded, seeing the zeal with which she made such a suggestion. Yeah, they'd lose quite a bit of weight, but it would bring on a whole new slew of issues in regards to public indecency, not to mention how ashamed they'd feel if they were caught in any official capacity.

"...Actually, you might be onto something, Miss Anora." Runa stated after mentally debating with themself over such an idea. "If I find a safe place near our entrance and exit, I can shed the bulk of my armor so that I'm in my regular attire. Not only would it be much lighter for you, but my footsteps inside would also be significantly quieter, which might be ideal for the fact we want to sneak around to begin with..."

Aye, if they were going into potential danger, with some unknown elements, then they wanted to be as quiet as possible. Still, Runa would be losing the bulk of their defense, which meant they had to keep their sword and shield game at its finest if anything were to happen.

"And... I'd rather we not fall into the bottomless pit, if it's all the same to you."

Anora was delighted that they took so easily to her idea. “No bottomless pits!” She affirmed. “Well in that case, I think we could probably stow your armor away in a nearby alley, or in some sort of trash receptacle…” The moment she made the suggestion, she shook her head, as if coming to a different conclusion mid-sentence. “No, that wouldn’t be very safe or secure. Maybe up in a tree, or in some bushes? I think that would be less suspicious, and probably less obvious given that it’s dark out and people would be less likely to see it among the leaves and brush.”

They continued walking, twisting through Argent as Anora lead them to the grate’s location. She would stop suddenly at junction in the road where three paths intersect, where in the center was… a wide, circular grate. “Here we are,” she spoke. “I went exploring after the last time we went down, and I ended up stumbling across this grate that looks to be about the size and location of the one we saw.” I appeared to be so old that it created a slight dip in the cobblestone road where rain water likely gathered. If it was centered over the bottomless pit, then… “It’s possible it was put here for drainage during flooding… which would mean somewhere at the bottom of the pit was likely some sort of pool or channel. I didn't see any running water when we were down there, but the water that falls in must go… somewhere.” She mused out loud. It was another mystery for another day.

The junction they were at was rather quiet and secluded— far from the hustle and bustle of the more populated shopping strips of Argent. At this time of night, there was nary a soul to be heard or found. There were alleyways, bushes, trees, pots, and all sorts of potential places to hide bits of armor.

Runa furrowed their brow at the thought of stashing their armor in an alleyway, a prime target for any thieves of the night to take were it to be found. All it took was one person who happened to be of a similar stature to obtain it, and they could commit all manner of unruly deeds under the guise of a city knight! And who would return to headquarters, armorless, full of shame, and easy to blame? That's right! Wolfborn!

Intrusive thoughts aside, perhaps putting it in a tree was a fine idea. Unless they were some manner of fae thief pretending to be a squirrel, on the other hand...

They followed Anora until the paths intersected, looking on at the center grate. They were a bit surprised to hear that Anora had explored on her own following the initial scare, but as they took a closer look, they thought she might be right about where it could lead.

"You're likely right, Miss Anora. It does appear to be about the same size..." They said, trying to measure the grate in their head. It had been some time since they saw it before, and it was from a rather far angle, but... "Based on the distance from the cemetery, it seems to add up. I believe we should be in the right spot."

They were feeling a little uneasy about this. What secrets could they stumble upon down there?

"Miss Anora... I'll ask one more time. Are you sure about this?"

Runa asked again if Anora was certain about this little excursion she had planned, and she looked at them with a self-questioning, concerned gaze. Their repeated question struck at the core of something unspeakable within her, suppressed insecurities rising up from the soil of her heart like a sprout of evil.

Did Runa doubt her ability to handle herself down there again, not knowing what dangers they might stumble across in the encroaching darkness? What if they encountered something they couldn’t escape from? She stepped forward and looked down beyond the metal grate, at the swirling abyss beneath them. What if they never came back out? What if she couldn’t fly them down, and they both plummeted into the pit? Maybe she wasn't cut out for this...

She shook away her insecure thoughts, banishing them from her mind and squashing every ounce of self-doubt. The two of them would be fine. They had to be! She could do this.

“Yes,” she said, giving a reassuring smile. “I’m positive.”

Now, back to business. “While you strip, I’ll find a way to get this thing open,” she said, kneeling down beside the grate to examine it more closely for any screws or contraptions to open it.

Runa looked at Anora, seeing her face change suddenly after they asked if she was sure. Her demeanor shift showed immense concern and like a mountain of self-doubt had emerged to the surface, and Runa was worried that they had offended her or discouraged her in some form. They gulped, preparing to apologize as it wasn't their intent.

But then she seemingly fell back into the sweet, carefree Anora just as soon as it came, smiling and telling Runa that she was positive.

Taking a moment to calm their own nerves, Runa would return Anora's smile and nod, though their concern for her was now something they'd be thinking about the entire night.

"I could probably get that open, Miss Anora." Runa would say as they approached a nearby tree, looking for a particular sturdy branch and jumping up to grab it with both hands. Taking a deep breath, they'd pull themselves up and onto it, the tree shaking from Runa's motions as leaves and twigs started to fall. "I just need but a minute."

Looking around at the tree from their new vantage point, Runa thought it would do the trick. They began to unfasten and unbuckle their armor, finding this experience to be a rather strange one. It doesn't help they went through the pain of putting all of this on to begin with not an hour ago.

Anora was ready to break out all her nonexistent engineering expertise in prying this thing open, but it seemed it wouldn't be needed— Runa had volunteered to handle it themself. After they stripped off all their armor, anyway. Anora knew firsthand that it was a tedious process to have to put on and take off all that gear, but hopefully it would be worth the trouble. “Alright, take your time,” she replied.

She snuck a peek at Runa’s direction from where she was kneeling, but found that even with her Darkvision, it was difficult to see them beyond the tree’s rich foliage. Probably a good thing, then— if she couldn’t see them or their armor, it was less likely a random passerby (with no idea to look up there) would see it either.

In the meantime, Anora stood up again and performed some light stretches. It was clear she didn’t know the first thing about fitness or proper stretching technique, but hopefully loosening up the muscles and joints at all would be beneficial. She stretched her wings wide— wider than they were accustomed to being. For all the time she had them folded in, under her bodices and dresses, they felt more comfortable compressed and confined. When she opened them up wide, it felt the same way stretching your legs do after sitting with your knees to your chest or your legs crossed— loose in an almost strange, cold, uncomfortable way. It just makes you want to curl your legs in again to regain that feeling of closeness and familiarity.

She hoped she could still fly. She hadn’t done it since she was a kid, alone at odd hours when she would sneak outside of the house and wander the gardens or the nearby forest. As she got older, she had less opportunities to escape and be alone… and eventually she just got used to not having her wings out at all. They still felt pretty mobile, and she still had control over them. Whichever muscles govern the control of Fey wings haven’t quite atrophied yet, thankfully.

Well, Anora was certainly agreeable. Runa half-expected her to bring up that she was able to do it on her own, or showcase some wild Fey ability that would allow her to open it up with ease. But she simply agreed just like that. It was kind of humorous, but Runa also didn't want her to risk hurting herself anyway, especially if she was adamant about carrying the both of them down there.

Armor off and stashed on a high, sturdy branch, Runa would leap down from the tree, landing lightly on the ground in a crouch. They would stand up soon after, and Anora would see that they were now in a sleeveless, black gambeson, black trousers and boots, and leather bracers. Their sword and shield was on their back. The cool air against their body felt strange, and Runa imagined they looked far smaller without all of that bulky around. The ease of movement was certainly undeniable though.

"So where do you reckon we should look first, Miss Anora?" Runa would ask as they walked up to and knelt beside the grate. They would test the weight first by grabbing it and attempting to lift, noting how obviously heavy it was. From there, they would grab their sword and unsheathe it, bringing the blade into the small space between the edge and the grate, using the leverage of the blade to lift it slightly, enough for them to more easily grab it with their hand before they would lift it up completely and slide it aside slowly.

"These- Divines almighty, this is heavy- Catacombs are rather large, are they not? We'll need to narrow it down somehow."