[2] 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 ― l.valdez ✓

019.

「019. fnaf but ancient rome」

CHERRY WASN'T scared of the dark, thankfully. but that being said, she didn't particularly enjoy the fact their light source had been cut. but on the somewhat bright side- the eildons didn't look like they'd be arriving anytime soon. over her head, the marble floor shuddered, and cherry heard a muffled 'oof' come from frank. she turned around, noticing he'd changed back into human form, wheezing in the dark.

"what now?" frank panicked.

"okay," leo spoke calmly, "so like- don't freak the fuck out. but. uh- i'm gonna summon a little fire, just so we can see."

frank didn't look to comfortable with the fact there was a fire. but he gulped and nodded, "thanks for the warning."

a second later and leo's index finger blazed like a birthday candle. in front of of them was a stone tunnel with a low ceiling. just as hazel had said, it slanted down and then leveled out and went south.

"well," cherry said, "it only goes in one direction."

"shame they split up," leo added.

cherry gasped at him for a few moments, before shaking her head, muttering as she grabbed his wrist and tugged him along as he personal flashlight, "let's just go find hazel."

they made their way down the corridor, leo going first with the fire, cherry beside leo and frank behind them. after a hundred feet or so, they turned a corner and finally found hazel. in the light of her golden calvary sword, she was examining a door. she didn't even notice them until cherry tapped her shoulder and said, "hiya!"

hazel whirled, trying to swing her spartha. fortunately, cherry managed to doge and peeped her head back up and said, "let's try not kill each other."

"what are you guys doing here?" hazel demanded.

"we ran into some angry tourists," leo said. briefly,he began explaining what had just happened moments ago, skipping over the whole sharing sad stories things and straight to the part where they just jumped underground.

hazel hissed in frustration, "i hate eidolons. i though piper made them promise to stay away."

"well," frank said, looking like he hated what he was going to say, "technically, piper made them promise to stay off the ship and not possess any of us."

cherry groaned, "so that means they would have followed us, and used other bodies to attack us. great, and it's not even breaking the vow."

"great," huffed leo, "eidolons who are also lawyers. now i really want to kill them."

"okay, look- forget them now," hazel said, "this door is giving me fits. leo, can you try unlock it?"

leo cracked his knuckles, sending a wink at cherry, "stand aside for the master, please."

the entire door was coated in imperial gold. a mechanical sphere about the size of a bowling ball was embedded in the center. the sphere was constructed from five concentric rings, each inscribed with zodiac symbols—the bull, the scorpion, et cetera—and seemingly random numbers and letters.

"these letters are greek," leo said in surprise.

"well, lots of romans spoke greek," hazel said.

"i guess," leo said. "but this workmanship...no offense to you camp jupiter types, but this is too complicated to be roman."

"leo how about we not insult the romans?" cherry suggested.