A World Unwritten

I stir, groaning slightly as I sit up. Isadora's tug on my sleeve tells me that I've managed to get at least a bit of sleep. Stretching, I glance around the cavern. Isadora is off to one side, practicing her sword swings. Typical.

Then, my eyes fall on Biana, who is still sprawled on the floor, snoring loudly. My eyebrows furrow in annoyance. 'What the fuck is wrong with her?' I wonder, slightly irritated. I make my way over and nudge her shoulder. "Biana, wake up," I command.

When there's no response, I grow more agitated. "Wake up, you lazy fucking bitch!" I shout, shaking her so violently that her head flops from side to side. She doesn't even stir.

'Fuck, I'm going to go insane,' I think to myself. As if on cue, Isadora tugs on my sleeve again. I turn to see her holding a coconut shell full of water. A mischievous grin spreads across my face.

Without a word, Isadora strides over and proceeds to dump the entire shell of cold water onto Biana's face. Biana jolts awake with a shriek.

"That shit is cold!" she exclaims, sitting up quickly and wiping her face. I chuckle at the sight of her, hair plastered to her face and shivering slightly from the cold water.

"You've slept enough, it's time to start moving," I say, ignoring the glare she's shooting in my direction.

Biana grumbles, shaking the water from her face. "I've been thinking," she starts, an air of nonchalance in her tone as she lazily scans the room, eyeing the colored runes. "Have you guys given any thought to that cryptic clue on the wall? 'To progress, one must follow the cycle of the moon'."

Isadora and I exchange a glance before turning our attention back to Biana. "And?" I prompt, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Her eyes crinkle in amusement as she gets to her feet, brushing off her clothes. I'm not a genius, how the fuck am I supposed to interpret that?

She starts to point towards the colored runes. "Look, the different colors likely represent different stages of the moons. It's like the changing tides and winds," she explains, her finger lazily moving from one rune to the next. "Green represents the New Moon. Life starts in the darkness of the earth. Blue is for Waxing Crescent. The growing moon pulls at the water. White is for the First Quarter. The moon is clearly seen in the sky. Red is the Waxing Gibbous, the growing light akin to fire."

She pauses to glance back at us, a smug smirk on her face. Isadora, in a rare moment, looks truly impressed, damn she actually managed to impress her. "Then we go back to Green for the Full Moon. A full moon means life at its fullest. As the moon starts to wane, the fire also dies down, represented by Red. The Last Quarter is White, the moon still in the sky, just less bright. And the Waning Crescent is Blue, the receding moon letting go of the water," Biana finishes, looking immensely satisfied with herself.

My head hurts, just why did I have to make her so smart? aaaaaahhhh, I'm going to cry. Lets see if I understood her. "Alright," I finally manage to say. "So we just follow this sequence: Green, Blue, White, Red, Green, Red, White, Blue."

"That's the plan," she replies, giving a shrug. "Though, it's not like we have any other options." She gestures towards the floor filled with the colored runes.

I shift my gaze to Isadora, her brows are scrunched in a knot of confusion. That's when it hits me that Biana's astute explanation might've sounded like gibberish to someone like Isadora. She's not dumb, she's just more... hands-on.

"Did you get any of that?" I ask, shooting her a quizzical glance. Her stone-cold face is only interrupted by a slight twitch of her eyebrows, a silent testament to her confusion. A breathy chuckle escapes my lips, and I nudge her playfully.

"Don't sweat it, I was lost too," I confess, looking back at Biana who is busy reveling in the satisfaction of her smart display. Only someone like Eira and Zeke can keep up with Biana.

Her gleaming eyes meet mine, and she raises an eyebrow in challenge. "I can't help it if you two can't keep up," she says, her voice laced with a mixture of sarcasm and amusement. Her nonchalance grates on my nerves, making my hand itch to wipe that smug look off her face.

"Is there anything else I should know?" I snap, glaring at her. She takes a moment to consider my question, a slow smile curving on her lips.

"Well, it's important to know that even if we step on the correct runes, we're still likely to face random trap attacks," she says, her tone casual as if she's discussing dinner plans and not our potential doom.

I resist the urge to yell out in frustration. I manage to click my tongue instead, shooting daggers at Biana with my eyes. "You could've shared that tiny detail earlier," I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest. She just shrugs, clearly unbothered by my annoyance.

Looking over at Isadora, I see her knuckles whitening as she grips her sword tighter. Her eyes, usually calm, are clouded with barely concealed irritation. Clearly, Biana's delayed disclosure isn't sitting well with her either. But she says nothing, opting instead to channel her irritation into tightening her grip on her weapon.

Stepping up to the challenge, I shoulder past Isadora towards the coloured mosaic. It makes sense for me to lead - Isadora, for all her brute strength, didn't follow Biana's explanation and we can't afford any mishaps. And Biana... well, having her in the lead would likely get us all killed.

The edge of my dagger feels cool and comforting in my hand as I turn back to Isadora. With a gruff nod, she hoists Biana onto her back. Biana gives a startled yelp but quickly goes silent, her arms fastened securely around Isadora's neck.

With a muttered curse, I draw on my reserves of energy, willing my aura to flare to life. It's always a risky move - I can only maintain it for so long, and it's a damn drain. But I can't risk myself getting hurt, and I need every shield I can get.

The moment my foot lands on the first green rune, the cavern seems to hold its breath. An eerie glow spreads beneath my foot, my heartbeat echoing loud in the sudden silence. Even the air feels heavier, pressing against my skin with a tangible force. Thank god, hopefully Biana is lying to me about the traps.

"Blue," I whisper, my voice breaking the silence as I step onto the next rune. The cavern trembles, stones falling from the ceiling and the ground shuddering beneath our feet. Dust clouds our vision, the taste of it gritty in my mouth.

The rumbling halts, but the peace is short-lived. Without warning, a dart whizzes past my face, missing by mere inches. "Damn it!" I curse, ducking instinctively as another follows suit.

Despite stepping on the correct runes, the cavern is relentless. Its traps are not lethal, merely there to...I don't fucking know, why am I trying to figure it out? But each Rune chips away at my concentration, each near miss forcing me to recalculate my steps, my strategy.

Behind me, Isadora moves like a shield, swatting away any dart that dares get too close. Even with Biana on her back, she's a force to be reckoned with. Fuck, she's too OP, tsk, If only I wasn't cursed.

Despite the fear gnawing at the pit of my stomach, I continue. One foot after the other, green to blue, white to red. The sequence etches itself into my mind, my only lifeline in this deadly dance.

When we reach the next green, I can feel my aura flicker. It's fading, my energy sapped by the constant focus and evasions. Tsk, I can't use any more aura, I need to keep circulating the rest.

Red. White. Blue. Each rune glows underfoot, a beacon in the treacherous dark. At least that's probably what Biana and Isadora are seeing.

Finally. No more runes. I hate trap scenes. Goddammit.

Exhaustion spreads through my veins, tugging heavily on my eyelids. I sink to the cavern floor, propping myself against a cold, jagged wall.

As I lay there, chest heaving, I feel a soft vibration under me - the last vestiges of the cavern's wrath simmering down. It's eerily quiet now, the cacophony of falling rocks and whooshing darts a distant memory. I close my eyes, letting the silence wash over me.

Isadora's heavy footsteps echo around the cavern, growing louder as she approaches. I open one eye, watching as she drops Biana on the ground.

"Tsk, look at you. You yell at me for being lazy and you're over here laying around? Just what the hell is wrong with you?" Biana's snide voice breaks the silence. I turn my head to glare at her, but she merely raises an eyebrow at me, clearly not intimidated.

I clench my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palm. I have half a mind to punch her smug face, but I hold back. She's just baiting me. Isadora, on the other hand, isn't as forgiving.

In one swift move, she whacks Biana on the back of her neck. Biana's eyes widen, her mouth forming a perfect 'o' before her body slumps forward, unconscious.

I stifle a laugh, my chest heaving as I try to control my breathing. Eeehh, I can't believe it, shaking my head in disbelief. Biana deserves an award for pissing off Isadora. Hey system don't you agree?

[No]

[However I'll give you 50 points if you piss off Isadora]

Don't try to set me up you bastard! I've worked so hard trying to build up a relationship with her! Do you think I'm going to ruin that!? Looking at Isadora, I see a rare smile tugging at the corners of her lips. With Biana temporarily knocked out, it seems like we might finally have a moment of peace. Holy shit, No way she smiled. Biana... She might be more useful than I thought.

A wave of relief washes over me as I struggle to my feet, my eyes surveying our new surroundings. The cavern walls have transformed into something more reminiscent of a hallway, carved out of age-worn stone rather than haphazard mounds of dirt. My fingers trail along the stone, finding comfort in its cold, solid surface. At least for now, there are no more runes in sight.

With a groan, I stretch out my muscles, a chorus of protests echoing from my overworked limbs. Still, I can't afford to let my exhaustion overtake me.

Behind me, Isadora heaves Biana up once more, throwing her over her shoulder as if she's nothing more than a sack of grain. We exchange a look, an unspoken agreement passing between us. We have to keep moving. Regardless of the stench of dampness and decay clinging to the air, there's a strange sort of calmness in this hall. We must be pretty far from the monster.

As we venture deeper into the hallway, the single path ahead of us forks into two. The gloom of the underground wraps around both paths, leaving us with no clear choice of direction. I click my tongue in irritation, my eyes flicking between the two equally uninviting options. The last thing I need right now is to get lost in this labyrinth.

[Go left]

I let out a slow sigh of relief, my tension easing. Finally, this damned system provides something useful. I glance back at Isadora, gesturing towards the left path with a tilt of my head. She grunts in acknowledgment, adjusting her grip on Biana's limp form.