Entranced {Klance au}

Chapter 17

"After days of trudging through the wilderness, without food or water, the brave heroes reach their destination, all because of their fearless leader's, Lance, superior intelligence and sur-"

"Lance! Not again!" Keith grumbles, successfully cutting Lance's attempt at narrating off. Lance pouts, his head sinking slightly. Keith rolls his eyes. He's been doing that a lot lately. Is it possible to get an eye strain?

"Meanie," Lance huffs and crosses his arms dramatically. Keith can't hold in the chuckle.

"What are you four?"

"FINALLY!" Hunk exclaims between gasps for air, ending the conversation before it goes any farther. His hand appears above the edge of the mountain, and he pulls himself up with a grunt. "We made it."

Lance pulls his eyes from Keith's, forfeiting their unspoken staring contest in favour of taking in the glowing..... Thing...... before them.

Carved from the rock surface is a circular indent. The edges are raised, and covered in odd markings of a different language. Lance finds himself drawn to the center, were a circular piece had been cut out. Lines flow from it, five ines twisting in circles around the center till the reach the edge and combine into one thick line lining the indents edge. Lance begins to trace one with his finger, shivering at the cold rock beneath his finger, and Keith can't keep himself from watching. He's so naturally curious that he has to touch everything new. The thought brings smile to Keith's face.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Lance turns sharply catching Keith in surprise and he quickly adverts his eyes. "Neither princess or coast guard said anything about how to use it, and I don't think theres any instruction manuals just lying around."

"Allura and Shiro," Hunk corrects as he dusts himself off, making sure to steer clear of the weird purple spotted plant to his right.

"Ya, ya," Lance waves it off without care. "Same thing." Keith snickers and Lance turns, their eyes meeting briefly before running back to the not very magical looking portal.

"What do you think these markings mean?" Keith steps forward, running his hand lightly along the foreign symbols.

"Probably something about needing a human sacrifice," Lance replies without skipping a beat, fingering the amulet around his neck absentmindedly. The glow it had has faded, but the blue is still entrancing. Pulling Lance in till he can't resist running his hand in circles on its back.... almost as if he's.... petting it...? Nope. Too weird. Back on point. Portal, magic amulet, human sacrifice. Continue.

"What?!" Hunk squawks, looking around warily for any signs of disembodied body parts.

"Cut it out," Keith scolds with his eyes still fixed on the markings. "Your gonna give him a heart attack."

"I'll give you a..." Lances retort trails off after realizing how dumb it would sound and decides to instead continue swirling his finger along the large blue stone around his neck. Each swirl sends a foreign tingling through him emanating from the amulet. Almost as if its... purring? Didnt the princess say something about lions? Mayb-

"I think I know what we have to do."
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Keith focuses back on the markings, trying to scratch at the itch building in the back of his mind. It almost feels as if... hes seen these before. Like he's familiar with them. Thats crazy Keith. But the longer he studies the seemingly random dots and lines and curves, the more they seem to come together. Each piece fitting together and clicking in place in his mind as if saying "this is what I mean and you know it." He skims the line of symbols once again and he immediately knows what to do, like he always had known.