Gliding across the broken stone fragment, I landed smoothly on the ground.
I carefully looked around, inspecting my surroundings.
It was a grand hall, cluttered with the remains of multiple broken stone statues lying across the floor.
I flipped a broken tablet near my foot with the toe of my boot. There was an engraving on it that read: 'The great and mighty Zion!'
"!?... This place—"
[This is the Hall of Fame,]
Hugo explained patiently.
[The statues were of the great warriors and high achievers. The first Lord of Eisbourg was said to be a man of honor; he greatly valued all talent. At least, that's what the history says.]
Hugo had clearly done his research before this exploration. The handlers of the association really took their jobs seriously.
"They really were going places," I muttered.
The scale of it was enormous. "Big" didn't do it justice; it was much larger than any hall I had ever seen.
Every single statue was destroyed, but from the debris alone, I could guess that each had stood at least five meters tall.
"Hmm. The Empire really did a number on them."
Such was the cruelty of war.
[Damn it, Kai! At least let me call for help. Two is still better than one.]
"I am just taking a look around," I countered.
"It'll be easier for me to run if I'm alone... so no, two is not better than one."
[Haa... fine. Do as you please. Just remember, your choices don't affect you alone.]
After that, Hugo went completely silent. But I knew he was still there, watching through the hawk's eyes.
"Don't worry," I said softly. "I'm just looking around. Besides, I can handle a ghoul or two."
[...Just be careful.]
We had been working together for a while now, and Hugo knew my capabilities well. That was likely the only reason he hadn't hit the emergency alarm yet.
Let's just focus on the problem at hand.
I started exploring the Hall of Fame. There wasn't much left of its past glory; most of the valuables had been seized by the authorities long ago, and any remaining hidden items had been snatched up by treasure hunters.
Maybe they didn't really inspect it thoroughly, I thought. Otherwise, they wouldn't have left it in this state.
I reached into my pouch, took out a sense-enhancing potion, and gulped it down in one go.
Then, I closed my eyes, trying to better sense the flow of essence. The only source of light in the hall was the hole above us, but since evening was setting in, the place was swallowed in shadow.
When I opened my eyes, the darkness vanished. My pupils dilated as my black eyes turned even darker.
Suddenly, a world of vibrant color revealed itself to me. A different kind of light shone from where the statues lay: blue, white, yellow.
That was the color of will.
It was the intent left behind by the creators of those statues. Even after a hundred years, with the stone broken and fading, the will that had birthed them still lingered in the air.
'...There really is no tool like a man's hand', I thought, silently appreciating the craft.
But I couldn't linger. I had work to do. I began scanning for the source of the essence.
Soon, I found it.
At the far end, in a corner, lay a statue that was still somewhat intact. It glowed with a pink hue, brighter than any of the others.
Without wasting a second, I moved toward it.
Wow. I couldn't help but admire the masterpiece. It was a statue of a woman, her face covered by a veil from the eyes down, though you could just see the curve of her lips from the side.
Although she was missing one arm and both legs below the knees, the eyes, the curves, and the drape of her dress were perfect.
Had I not been able to sense the intent, I might have thought a living person had been frozen in stone.
I found a broken tablet nearby that read: 'The Enchantress of Vel Sintra.'
Vel Sintra was a city in the west known for pleasure and indulgence. I looked around and found the broken arm nearby, but the legs were nowhere to be seen.
Whatever... "Hugo, do you know anything about the Enchantress?"
I waited for an answer, but there was no reply.
"Hugo?" I asked again. Still nothing.
Did he actually ditch me?
I looked at the leather bracelet on my wrist. Its gemstone had stopped glowing.
Signal interference... Maybe I should hurry.
These new gadgets were good, but these versions still had plenty of bugs. Not that I was complaining—I'd gotten it for free, after all.
[...lo...]
Suddenly, I heard a voice. A strange, mechanical sound. Startled, I whipped out my revolver.
"Hugo?"
[...los..]
It wasn't Hugo. The voice was coming from behind the plinth of the statue. I circled around the base and found a large hole, seemingly dug by hand.
I didn't need to guess whose hands, because another ghoul's body lay slumped right beside it.
They were digging a hole?
This ghoul was also breathing slowly, and I could see its soul fading away. I didn't kill it; I left it alone, just like the one outside.
I didn't want to alert whatever was down there.
Ignoring the dying creature, I peered into the hole. The pit was pitch black, but I could see the shimmering intent and a golden essence flowing from the bottom.
'What is that?'
At the bottom of the pit lay something wrapped in cloth. I jumped down and approached the bundle, using my short sword to casually part the fabric.
[So close...]
The voice resonated again.
What was revealed was... a beautiful staff. A bō. It was black, almost six feet long, with intricate carvings covering its length. But that wasn't what stopped my heart.
'Why... wait! Is that a soul in the weapon?'
My eyes widened and my heart thudded against my ribs. I lowered my revolver and reached out, trying to examine it.
My hand hovered over the staff, fighting a physical urge to touch it.
'So much essence.'
I shook my head violently. I can't touch it. I need to take it back with me.
I grabbed the cloth to cover the staff again, but as I did, the weapon began to tremble. I frowned and stepped back.
Suddenly, the voice spoke again, clearer this time.
[...There you are...]
The essence flared. The golden light intensified, blinding me.
'Curses!'
Sensing something was horribly wrong, I spun on my heel to sprint away. But as I took my first step, my body went limp.
The world tilted, and I lost consciousness before I even hit the ground.