Heart of a Scout (Lisbeth X Reader)

Keystone Experience

Silica and you now stood in front of the sand temple's crumbling gates. She was still embarrassed from how you reacted earlier.

"I was only joking!" She said in a pouting voice.

You really doubted that, but you didn't have the energy to argue. The fatigue from earlier still hadn't worn off, and your breathing was heavier than before. It wasn't hard to tell that something was wrong, but neither of you knew what. You just had to focus on getting Lisbeth's goods from this place before it got any worse. Just from looking at the entrance up close, you believed this would be no easy task.

From the missing corners, a cold draft sent chills down both your bodies. What was left of the door wasn't very reassuring, either. A great beast devouring a crowd of worshippers depicted itself, albeit very faded, on what was left of the door. There wasn't enough detail to make out exactly what it was, though. It didn't appear to be locked, not that it would matter much. Wasting no time, you gave the gate a good shove, but it would not move. You could feel it give just a little, however.

"Silica, help me knock this open." You motioned for her to move beside you.

Both of you leaned up against the door, then backed away until you reached the staircase. Once you were both in position, the two of you charged at the gate, ready to ram into it with your shoulders. With a powerful yell, you slammed right into the door and shattered it into chunks. Emerging from a cloud of dust and rock, you tripped and fell flat onto your chest. You even inhaled some of the dust, causing your already rough breathing to erupt into harsh coughing. Silica seemed to have stumbled as well, but she was only on her knees. When she noticed your condition, she sent Pina to give you a quick heal. Both of them appeared very concerned now.

"Hey..." Silica grabbed your arm to help you up. "Are you sure we should do this now? I don't want you getting killed over this."

"Honestly, you might be right. Even so, I can't just walk out on this job. Not when Lisbeth is relying on me." You had to lean on Silica for support for a moment before standing on your own.

"I get where you're coming from, but I think she'd appreciate you coming back alive, too." Silica put on her best smile for you. You swore she could make indebted college students happy with it.

"Then can we think of something to keep us safe? Let's not leave until we're practically forced to."

"Hmm... You're a scout, right? Do you know anything about this dungeon? Like where enemies probably bunch up?"

"Sadly, no. I didn't spend too long on this floor, so there's a lot that I haven't seen. I get what you mean, though. My detection and stealth skills should let us avoid things on the fly."

"I guess that works. If you're ever in huge danger, though, I'm dragging you out with a teleport crystal."

You nodded in agreement, then began looking around the interior. Cracks ran along the walls, and small streams of sand flowed from the ceiling. Broken statues and pillars lined the floor, and a toppled brazier marked a fork in the hallways. Three paths stood before you, one of them sloping downward further into the darkness. The other two simply led outward to an unknown end. Your first response was to scan for enemies as far down as you could. Only one path showed signs of enemies, so you definitely didn't want to go that way. At least, it wouldn't be smart to. Maybe there was a clue in the area? You started to think about what you've seen around. The mural may have had something, but the details were extremely faded. You hadn't heard any legends of this area while you were in town. And you didn't realize you were being prodded by Silica until she yanked at your arm.

"I don't mean to disturb you, since you seem really deep in thought, but do you have any idea which way we should go?"

Still returning to reality, you gave your answer. "Oh, sorry. I'm not completely certain, so maybe you can help. Have you seen any clues about where these stones could be?"