Only Skeletons Remain

Chapter 2: The Search For Runeheart

Clancy woke up bright and early, and as Lara said, he had taken a bunch of his earrings off. He had five piercings, and he took out his three lobe and one upper lobe piercings, leaving them in the tent. He ran a hand through his hair before he ducked out of the tent. He was met by Lara holding an army green jacket with a single stripe of yellow tape across the back and the front.

"For you, it will keep any unwanted eyes from finding you." Lara told him, handing him the jacket. "The watchers can't see yellow." She also dropped a new pair of boots for him.

Clancy thanked Lara for the jacket and boots, and he pulled the jacket on, stepping into the boots. He was given a backpack with some stuff in it, and he pulled it onto his shoulders. Lara led him to the campfire in the middle of the camp, and Clancy ate breakfast, eating some eggs. Lara sat down by him.

"The wendigo will be the hardest to find. No one has seen him in years." Lara said in a hushed tone. "Find the beast with the glowing runes first. The wendigo listens to him."

Clancy nodded, "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." He then got up after finishing his breakfast, and he turned and began to walk towards the back entrance of the camp. As he did, he heard footsteps coming up from behind him. He turned his head and saw Lara coming after him.

"Father says I'm coming with you." Lara said, pulling down her yellow bandana that was over her mouth and nose.

Clancy nodded. "Sounds good." He replied with a nod before he made his way down the mountain to a lower part of it. He looked up at the cloudy sky, sighing softly. "Do you have any idea where we can find these creatures?"

"They say the one with the glowing runes lives on top of the mountain." Lara pointed to the tallest peak. "The green one lives in an abandoned temple. The scaly aquatic creature lives in The Cave of the Ancestors."

"What about the wendigo?" Clancy asked. He was afraid of Lara's answer. If they hadn't seen the thing in years, where could it be? Was it even alive?

"They say he lives in a cave, but no one knows which one." Lara replied. "And there are many caves on the continent of Trench."

"Trench is where we are?"

Lara nodded. "No more questions, come on." She said, leading the way towards the top of the mountain.

"So, what? Am I a Bandito now?" Clancy asked, jogging after her.

"Not even close, sleeper."

The two began to long trek up the mountain, and Clancy found himself becoming utterly exhausted. It was a long way up.

"So, how long were you a Lorekeeper for?" Lara asked.

Clancy raised an eyebrow. "Since I had my ceremony at 15. My father was the Lorekeeper before me." He missed his father dearly. His father had been killed when a group of rebels stormed the library. They all paid the price, death, but it left Clancy, his siblings, and his mother shattered.

Lara seemed to notice the grief passing through Clancy's eyes. "I am sorry for your loss." She said before she picked up her pace.

Clancy silently followed after her, and he felt the air getting thinner, the higher they got up. It was starting to hurt to breathe. He rubbed his chest a few times.

"Do you want a break?" Lara asked.

Clancy expected to see a hint of annoyance or even mockery in her eyes, but he saw none. "No, let's find this dumb beast."

"Who are you calling a dumb beast?" A deep voice came from above them somewhere.

Clancy immediately went to grab his knife, holding it tightly as he heard heavy footsteps hopping from rock ledge to rock ledge. Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath his feet. From the shadows emerged a massive, scaly creature. Its scales were a deep, midnight black, shimmering with a blue light that traced intricate patterns across its body. Spikes jutted from its back, and its eyes glowed a bright blue.

Clancy felt a mixture of fear and awe as he gazed upon the creature for the first time. He took a few steps back, pushing his arm out to protect Lara as she also stared at the creature. "What are you?" He demanded.

The creature snorted, stepping out into the sunlight. The sun shimmered against the beast's scales. "The better question is... who are YOU?" The creature asked, his lip curling over his teeth.

Clancy swallowed thickly. "My name is Clancy." He introduced himself, taking a careful step forward. "I escaped the city of neon lights. DEMA."

A flicker of recognition seemed to cross through the creature's face. His tail swished from side to side. The creature slowly stepped forward, getting nose-to-nose with Clancy. Clancy swallowed thickly, feeling the creature's hot breath against his skin.

"I-I'm here because I have to find four of you. You were one of them. The one with the glowing runes." Clancy stuttered.

Runeheart snorted, and Clancy flinched away. "Go away Bandito." He grunted, beginning to walk away.

"I used to be a Lorekeeper. Please, let me help you... whatever your name is." Clancy spoke Echolalia, and to his surprise, the creature turned around.

"My name is Runeheart." The creature said. "I was stolen when I was young. I was raised in the city of neon lights. I am fighting against them. I will kill them."

Clancy looked out in the direction of where DEMA was, and he turned back to Runeheart. "Come with me. Together, we can try and kill them. My father died there."

Runeheart's small ears twitched a bit. "We need to find the others." He lowered himself to the ground. "Get on my back. My four legs are faster than your two."

Clancy looked at Lara, who was still staring at Runeheart with wide eyes. "Come on." He went over to Runeheart, about to help Lara up when she snapped.

"I can do it myself!" She got onto the creature's back, nearly kicking Clancy in the face as she did so.

Clancy climbed onto Runeheart's back, and when they were settled, the creature bounded down the mountain. "Where are we going?!" He yelled.

"To find Starling!" Runeheart said, sliding down the mountain and whipping his tail to the side. "She's in the old ruins." The creature slowed to a trot, and he continued walking through the highlands, his eyes scanning for any sign of whatever creature Starling was.

"What does Starling look like?" Clancy asked, gently holding onto one of Runeheart's spikes as the creature walked.

"Big green creature." Runeheart said. "She looks like a giant moth."

"Got it." Clancy nodded, looking over at Lara. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Fine. Don't worry about me." Lara replied, not even looking at him.

Runeheart suddenly stopped in front of a huge ruined structure, and he lowered his body for Clancy and Lara to get off. Clancy walked towards the ruins, and as he was about to step in, Runeheart grabbed him by his jacket with his teeth.

"CAREFUL!" The creature warned as a 'happy birthday' trap got set off.

Clancy's eyes widened at the trap. "Thanks Runeheart." He brushed himself as Runeheart put him down. He carefully made his way into the ruins, keeping an eye out for traps. "Starling?!" He called. Why am I calling out for this thing? He continued deeper into the ruins with Lara and Runeheart close behind him. As he turned the corner, he got slapped into the wall by a furry tail, and he let out a groan. He was met by the angry brown eyes of a huge green-like moth creature.

"Who are you, and why do you smell like a bishop?" The creature asked, her long tongue reaching out to flick at Clancy's face.