The wood elf rocked back and forth on her heels, humming an elven melody to settle her nerves as she awaited the aid she had requested. Kailani had done some digging around the town, gathering whatever information she could from the locals about the strange rumours she had heard prior to entering the region thanks to some loud travelers that were eager to tell their tales. They claimed that the town of Oak was haunted by evil spirits that sought to harm any that got too close.

The wind mage wasn't one to easily believe such rumours, after all, people often embellished their stories, especially rowdy drunks. However, upon inspecting the castle town for herself, she had started to wonder if perhaps there was some hidden truth to them. From the moment she'd stepped into Oak she'd felt on edge, goosebumps on her skin, and the feeling of being watched. She had written it off initially as her anxiety playing tricks on her and the fact a notorious guild was known to lurk in the area.

However, Nimbus, her beloved exceed that now perched on her shoulder, had also felt the strange sensations, and he was not one for superstitions. What's more, even the locals spoke of ghost stories and eery sounds they heard, mostly from around the entrances to the catacombs that lay beneath the town itself. With this information at hand, the wood elf had thought it best to investigate further in order to get to the bottom of it all.

However, she knew that while she was fairly capable, working alone was not always the wisest decision, and even with Nimbus by her side she'd feel safer if she had someone a little more capable than the precious feline to aid them. As such, she'd sent out a request to the other guilds for assistance, and thankfully it appeared someone was willing to aid in her endeavors, as only a few days later she had received word that someone had accepted her request.

Now she waited, at the entry to the catacombs that would be their meeting place as she attempted to distract herself from the scary thoughts of what might lay below by wondering what kind of person had taken up her offer.

Amir was feeling greatly annoyed at the current situation at hand. The lone infinity wolf was being plagued by a new problem. Earlier the port town was having issues with a decrease in fishing. It was attributed to a monster at the time that Amir had already dealt with. The mission was considered at least a little something he could do since Port Asteria was his home turf. The fact that the monster or a different problem showed up on his home turf not long after, became an immense slap in the face for the Deisertian.

All of that led him right back to the same place to figure out the current problem. It was a mission that had to be done in order to return his honor. Unless it had nothing to do with him. Then Amir could get pissed at wasting his time.

“No no no.” Amir whispered to himself as he thought about it. This was an opportunity to get some field research done. He had read about different aquatic specimens the last time he was here. If it is the same or even a different monster, Amir could take the time to learn about water based magic. To him water based magic was one of the more uncommon magical elements that the mages of Fiore possessed. This filled him with excitement like the chance of learning something new always seemed to do for him.

This time Amir did have a spot of luck. The village did not request the help; it was another mage that needed assistance. To Amir it meant that the problem did not grow as big as it did last time. If it did he would have someone else to fight with. The scholar could admit he had not been properly applying his magical knowledge into combat as of late.

“Hello?!” Amir made it to the entrance of the catacombs and called out for a moment until he noticed a couple of familiar faces.

WC: 331/1,500

A familiar scent hit the dragon slayer's nostrils, but she couldn't quite pin down who it was. It wasn't until she heard his voice and turned to see the brunette before her that it finally clicked.

"Oh it's you!" Kailani smiled happy to see a familiar face, it would be easier working with someone she was at least acquainted with. Although truth be told, she didn't know too much about him other than he was exceptionally skilled when it came to costume making.

"Oh right, my apologies, hello." she quickly added, falling into a quick bow as it dawned on her just how impolite her first statement had been when he had been trying to greet her. "Well, this is certainly a pleasant surprise," she clasped her hands together, her nerves fading a little until she remembered exactly why they were here.

"I assume you're here thanks to my request correct?" She queried, looking to clarify that it wasn't just a mere coincidence that he had appeared at the place she had set the meeting up.

"Why else would someone want to visit such a dreary place?" Nimbus cut in, giving a look of disgust as he glanced around the gloomy area. Well, the feline wasn't completely wrong, it would be a strange place to come visit just because one felt like it, but the wood elf also didn't like to jump to conclusions.

Fascinating. It was the thought that Amir had upon seeing the dragon slayer and her companion. It was fascinating how each of the exceed acted differently as well. It was interesting to see just how humanoid the exceed were. It made them feel like people in their own way. Even if the person in question was a bit of an asshole. Then again Amir stipulated that most cats were assholes anyway, this one could just be more in tune with its feline side.

“It is all water beneath a bridge. I thought the same thing when I saw you.” It was true that he was surprised. He did not read the name on the quest form. It was just an unlikely coincidence that it would be her that he met up with. “To answer the question myself. I did show up to answer the request. Hope you do not mind my disturbance.”

Amir gave a quick bow back to the pony girl. He assumed it was more of a greeting among her group or one of these Joyan things he read about. Amir stood up and cracked his back like a glow stick. He was trying to loosen up his non-existent muscles for the excursion ahead.

“Alright. Ready when the two of you are. We can start this dive. Guess I will go in first.” Amir started to head in the catacombs leading the way. The only reason Amir decided to be in the lead was because he was a guy. His mom raised him to be a gentleman as much as she could. If the two behind him stabbed him in the back he would retaliate in kind. Until then he was trying to be chivalrous.

The wood elf was relieved to know she had been correct in her assumption, it would be awkward to explain the situation otherwise. She was a little surprised when he bowed back, not many non-elves did so since she had begun her travels outside of her forest home. It was a pleasant surprise though, the gesture was one of respect to another, whether he was aware of this fact or not, she couldn't say.

"Your presence is more than welcome. I was afraid to enter alone, lest something ill befall me and my furry companion here." She reached up to scratch NImbus under the chin, causing him to purr instinctively, "And yes, let's go." She'd agree with a nod, following closely behind the young man.

The entrance, like most of the castle town, was made of stone and upon entering the trio would find themselves slowly climbing down a cobblestone staircase. It grew darker as they continued to descend, the light from outside growing dim. As the wind mage feared she had forgotten to bring a light source along, a sudden burst of flame would alight from the wall beside the group.

"Ahh!" The wood elf gasped, jumping a little at the sudden appearance of the wall torch. Her heart raced for a moment but as she squinted further down the dim narrow path she'd note that there were a number of torches lining the wall.

"Oh... magic lighting?" She muttered, in thought, wondering if perhaps they'd continue to light up as they delved further into the catacombs. So far she had not spied any signs of these spirits or ghosts that the locals had been talking about, perhaps they'd simply mistook the wind for ominous howling?

An ominous feeling was enveloping Amir as the trio traveled into the catacombs. He had come to Port Asteria before but had never explored the catacombs. This time having no experience nor reading the relevant books he felt nervous. The walls looked like they were closing in and it was getting harder for him to breath. The moment they passed a magic torch Amir jumped. Kailani’s gasp had scared him as much as the sudden lighting. His nerves were on edge because navigating and leading in the dark was hard. It was not like he had enhanced senses that he could use.

“Yeah. Magic lighting. Freaky magic lighting. I wonder what it is doing down here?” The last portion was a thought that escaped his mouth. Magic equipment could be found in various places so it may just be nothing. The fact that it was here helped raise his suspicion, if it worked it meant someone could have been here recently.

Traveling deeper into the catacombs they walked into a room that started to alight. The room had torches over all the walls that illuminated the area. “Before we walk in deeper mind if I take a break. My body is on the weaker side. A side effect from spending so much time reading.” Amir would take the time to breath. His eyes looked around the room to the walls. Checking the place for any signs of traps or abnormal occurrences.

“I get the feeling that we are heading into danger.” Amir would add in after looking the place over. He saw a suspicious dark red substance that could have been blood, or maybe jelly. Amir was really hoping it was jelly. “After this I will lead but we should keep our magic at the ready.”

After their little jump scare, Nimbus seemed slightly on edge, his fur standing on end as his golden eyes darted around. As they entered a large open room, Amir made it quite clear he was ready to take a little break.

"That's fine, we're not in any rush." The wood elf would shoot him a small smile before approaching one of the unlit torches. As she stepped within a few feet of it, the flame immediately illuminated. "Hmm... If I had to guess, I'd say they were set up with some sort of sensory magic, to light up automatically. Not sure how long the light will last though." She added, tapping her chin in thought.

At this moment she felt claws dig into her shoulders, scowling she'd turn to scold Nimbus only to notice him staring off into the distance, his golden eyes wide, ears flicked back as a low growl escaped his throat. All signs of aggression in cats.

"What is it Nim?" She'd whisper in a hushed tone, afraid her voice would echo through the stone walls, her body stiffening as her heart rate increased.

"Don't know..." He growled as quietly as he could, leaping off her shoulder to stand between her and whatever had gotten the feline's attention, "But it's moving towards us..."

Straining her eyes to see further down the hall on the other side of the room, the wood elf could barely see anything more than the shadows created from the flickering magic flames of the torches for a few minutes. Before a sudden wave of wind blew through from the hall towards the trio. Taking a defensive stance, Kailani prepared for the worst, it seemed there was someone, or something, down here, after all, the rumors appeared to have at least a grain of truth to them.

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTYYYYYYYYYYYYY~" An ominous child-like voice echoed through the wind as it blew past them. A spectral aura suddenly came into view, rushing towards the feline. The wood elf was so shocked by the sight, she couldn't even respond, the pale figure that vaguely resembled that of a young child now stood before them all arms out as if to embrace the exceed before it.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAA GET AWAY!" Nimbus hissed at the spiritual being causing it to flinch back. Kailani observed carefully, it didn't seem aggressive, in fact, was that.... sniffling? The vague sounds of sad crying emanated from the strange being. Had Nimbus upset it? The wood elf frowned in confusion.

The rest in the creepy room did not last long enough for his liking. The fuckery of magic always involved a large number of rules. Oftentimes the rule of what can go wrong could go wrong went into effect. This was one of the times.

“Get away from it! Ghosts that die from drowning are never peaceful! The catacombs at this port are crazy. I never heard of a girl drowning around here.”

Amir was freaking out. You see, the scholar had a problem. When he had first accepted the quest he was only vaguely paying attention to the details. One of which being the location of the quest. When he got in the carriage and asked the driver to take him to the location listed. He popped open a book and started to read. Upon getting out he just walked in the direction the driver pointed until reaching the right spot. This meant that any death involving the port was more likely to involve spirits, the water spirits being among the most unhappy ones.

“We can try to appease her but drowning deaths are hard to appease. I can only imagine what kind of misfortune her ship had to encounter for her to get buried at sea, her body getting sucked underneath the port and into the catacombs. It sucks that she became a drowned ghoul.”

To the young scholar the situation was unfortunate. He did not want to feel too bad as it would impede his actions.  He had to harden his heart to any possible enemy. It was why the tears that the little ghost girl was crying, did not help him understand her plight. If the girl was a water ghost producing tears from grievance it would be like baking bread on the surface of the sun, a simple manner. Amir was not fearful toward it if came to a fight with the ghost. His mana was dark inclined; his magic had a way to hurt them. His mind was firing on all cylinders as he made battle plans and calculated variables, he laminated the fact that they did not have a light mage with them. It was in anticipation of an unexpected battle. Amir was expecting a fish monster not a water ghoul.

“When you two are ready you can try talking to her. At the moment I am a bit jumpy. I am afraid I would blast the poor girl to pieces.” It was not a statement made with sadness, it was more of a fact as he was uneasy. The poor ghost girl could easily become spectral bits. The blood on the walls was not helping Amir with his nerves.

"Port?" Kailani's brows furrowed into even more confusion at the young man's words. "What are you on about?" The wood elf asked, giving him a strange look, "Unless she drowned in the well or the nearby river, I don't see how anyone would drown in these mountains." She blinked, trying to fathom just what kind of strange thought train Amir was on right now. How did he conclude that this strange spirit even died that way? She'd tilt her head, trying to see if there was any sign of moisture or something she'd missed. Nothing.

Glancing down the wood elf would note that Nimbus' hackles were up, in full aggression mode at this point, as the sobbing grew louder. He certainly was not helping the situation.

"Stop, stop!" Kailani begged the feline, picking him up and shifting him to the side so she could kneel before the strange spectral figure. With a deep breath she'd try to settle her anxious heart, to little avail, but enough to ensure her voice didn't shake too much.

"Are you alright?" The wind mage asked in a soothing tone, the one she'd always used when comforting her best friend.

"T-the k-k-kitty did-didn't w-want t-to pl-play with m-m-me." The voice blubbered, clearly, it was upset and capable of emotions and what it wanted was simple enough, it seemed drawn to Nimbus. The wood elf would glance over at Nimbus who was shaking his head frantically.

"No, no, no. I know that look, I don't wanna." The feline crossed his paws in an X-shape, refusing to approach it.

"It'll make it feel better though." Kailani cooed, trying to convince the exceed. She didn't know why, but this strange figure, while creepy, didn't give off a hostile feeling, something urged her to fulfil its wish to play with 'the kitty'.

"Ugh... if this hurts... You're  going to owe me sushi for a month!" Nimbus huffed, hesitantly stepping closer, "I'll uh, play with ya kid." Nimbus sighed, giving up.

"R-really?" Another sniffle.

"Yea..." The moment it was given the okay, the sobbing stopped as the figure reached forward to pet Nimbus, taking on a much more humanoid form as they did, as features became more prominent, a human child. As she touched the feline, his fur would stand on end again, but this time more out of being uncomfortable over afraid as the voice changed to childish giggling and excited squeals.

"So... What are you doing down here?" Kailani would ask, curious as to why the spirit of a young child was stuck in the catacombs.

"He doesn't let us leave." The child answered, continuing to fawn over the feline.

"Who is he?" The wood elf pressed, hoping to get a little more information so they could understand the situation better.

"The big bully, he lives down there." The child replied happily, pointing down the hall on the other side of the room.

"Well then, if you stay here with Nimbus," she shot the exceed a look, "We will go deal with the bully, sound good?"

"Um, yes, but, he's really scary." the voice sounded concerned for them while Nimbus was glaring at the wood elf, clearly annoyed by her 'plan'.

"I'm sure we can deal with it, right Amir?" The wind mage shot a pleading smile at the young man, she knew he was afraid, but if they stayed together, they'd surely be alright. She'd stand back up, ready to move on to the next area as long as her fellow mage was up for it.

The words that came out of the wind mage made Amir look incredulous. She had spoken to Amir in a strange way. “Mountains? What Mountains? Port Astera doesn’t have any?” Amir asked incredulously. His mind did not fathom that he traveled so far without even knowing it.

The way the duo dealt with the ghost was kind. Amir was ready to blast the poor girl to pieces. She had lucked out on being a cat person. Amir had no reason to participate as the other two dealt with the ghost in question. It was almost heart warming seeing how Nimbus even while terrified was treated like your average variety of cat.

“Yeah. I would feel bad if we did not handle the situation. I did not need to fire the spell so I am pretty rested. I guess I shall show my might in the upcoming battle.” Amir did believe there would be a battle. If he did not need to fight the walls would have lacked blood. The presence of blood meant that something was not friendly. If it was a danger than as a mage it was his job to protect the innocent. The undead innocent and all.