"I could name you," James paused for a second, glancing at the grey rat leading the way. "Mercury. Sounds fitting."
The grey rat stopped in its tracks, tilting its little head to the right.
"You don't like it?"
The rat scurried toward the wall, its black eyes fixed on one of the bricks before shifting to another.
"You see something I don't..." James murmured, watching as the rat's gaze tracked something unseen through the wall. Then, without warning, it turned sharply to the left, as if chasing whatever it had sensed.
James followed close behind, questions beginning to flood his mind.
"I don't even feel tired after all this walking... Strange, but considering the nature of this body, maybe it's not that surprising."
"I should be worried," he thought, "but it feels oddly... comfortable."
The rat's pace slowed as it approached another turn.
"How long have we been walking like this?" James wondered aloud. "Feels like I've lost track of..."
Before he could finish his thought, a sudden sound echoed through the hallway.
"Did you hear that, Ro?" a man's voice called out, filling the space as he spoke to someone beside him.
"Wait! I think there's something over there, Po!" the second man replied, his tone far more excited than the situation probably warranted.
Someone'shere...
At last, a light came into view from around a left turn, right where the rat had stopped.
"A torch?" James whispered, a spark of genuine emotion breaking through his otherwise still demeanor.
"Po! Look! An undead! And it's talking?!" the man shouted as he stepped into view, illuminated by his partner's light.
"Talking? I'm speaking out loud?" James stiffened, startled by the sound of his own voice. "How is that even possible? I don't even have a... mouth."
He paused, glancing down at himself.
"I'm nothing but bones. Where is the sound even coming from?"
"Hey! Mr. Skeleton, what are you?" asked one of the men, apparently the one called Ro.
He approached slowly but with confidence, his left hand held behind his back.
He's maybe hiding a weapon... I need to be careful.
"I... I'm not exactly sure what happened to me, I swear!" James stammered. "Just moments ago I was... I..."
His voice faltered as the reality of his situation settled in.
Then, a abrupt thought struck him.
What was I doing before I woke up?
What happened to my body?
Body?
Had I even had one?
Did I forget?
How could I forget something like that? I knew who I was... didn't I?
My name...
What was my name?
Who am I?
'Tock! Tock!'
The sound echoed through the hallway as Ro tapped on James's forehead. His body had slumped to his knees.
"Whoa! It's not fake. You really are just bones... and eyes, I guess. Creepy."
Ro crouched down to James's level, studying him closely.
"Did you forget your vocabulary or something?" he asked, just as the other man approached, his expression calm and unreadable.
"Did you really have to approach him? What if it's a trap?" asked the man Ro had referred to as Po.
"If it was a trap, we probably would've fallen into it already," Ro replied, turning his head to meet his brother's stern gaze.
"That's all you have to say?" Po muttered, his tone calm but firm.
James looked at the two men, his mind clouded by a fog of nothingness. He had let his guard down, and now they were standing dangerously close.
I need to focus...
Lying didn't seem like the best option, especially since he wasn't even sure what the truth was.
"I... I don't remember what happened to me. I just woke up..." James said, his voice uncertain. Even he couldn't tell if it was the truth or not.
"Woke up? Just like that? A dead corpse suddenly deciding to wake up?"
Ro's gaze sharpened as he stared at James.
"I don't know if you're aware, but this place is pretty strange. So I'll let that excuse slide for now." He leaned in slightly. "But there's one thing you need to know. If you keep going like this, you'll die. Or at least, you'll stop functioning. Cognitively. Or whatever it is that means the end for someone like you."
Ro smirked. "You need help. And luckily for you, my second name is 'Help.'"
"It isn't. It's actually..." The man behind stopped as soon as his brother's gaze met his.
It was true. He needed help. Wandering through the dark alone, even with the rat for company, was far from a real plan.
But teaming up with two strangers who weren't even fazed by a talking skeleton? That wasn't exactly comforting either.
Still, the choice was painfully clear. Fight two potential enemies with no clear plan in mind, or take the only help being offered.
In his current state, James didn't really have a choice. Not if he wanted to survive.
"So, what now, pile of bones? What are you planning to do?"
James met his gaze. The man's eyes were yellowish, his pupils unusually small. His amused tone only deepened James's growing unease.
"Tell me, Bones," Ro continued, his voice lowering. "Are you smart enough to take the offer, or would you prefer to stay here and become part of the decor, like another corpse?"
James studied him closely. For all the sharpness in his voice, Ro looked young, almost identical to his companion.
They both wore simple leather armor. It wasn't much for protection, which made James wonder if this place was less dangerous than it seemed.
Neither of them appeared to be armed, aside from the torch Ro's brother carried.
Still, they didn't act like people who were worried about danger. Or about him.
Left with few options, most of them far too risky, James finally spoke.
"I need answers. But first, I need a way out."
His words were met with silence. Ro looked toward his brother.
Po said nothing, but the concern on his face was clear. He didn't seem sure about Ro's plan, or what might happen next. Still, after a brief pause, he gave a quiet nod.
Taking that as approval, Ro stood up and offered his hand to James.
"Then let's help each other," he said, his tone now noticeably more friendly.
Without much hesitation, James reached out and pulled himself to his feet.
"So, Bones, there's something that's caught my attention. What's that at your feet?" Ro asked, his gaze shifting to the floor.
James followed his eyes. At his feet stood the little rat, now motionless as it faced the two men.
"I don't kno—"
James's words were cut off as Ro suddenly knelt down and scooped the rat into his hand. The creature didn't resist.
"If you only knew how valuable this thing is," Ro said with excitement. "It's our ticket out!"
He turned quickly toward his brother, holding the rat out in his direction.
"You see that, Po? A fully functional Sentinel!" Ro held the little creature up to his brother's face.
"I see it, Ro," Po replied in a flat tone, taking a slow step back with the torch still in hand.
"Expressive as always..." Ro muttered, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face before he turned back to James with renewed energy.
I see... thedynamic...
"It's a valuable gift you brought us, Bones. That pretty much seals our new collaboration!" Ro said, his voice filled with newfound excitement.
The rat is valuable? Or maybe it's the crystal... it's surely the crystal.
"Don't worry, we will help you get out of here, especially now that we have this." Ro gave the little rat a light pat. It didn't react at all.
"Why is it so valuable?" James asked, his curiosity growing.
"You'll see... this is no ordinary rat. In fact, it might be the strangest thing in this place, aside from whatever you're supposed to be."
With his free hand, Ro carefully reached for the crystal embedded in the rat's back.
There was no resistance. The rat didn't flinch as he pulled it free.
But the moment the crystal came loose, the creature's already minimal movements stopped completely. It went still, like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Is it dead?" James asked, eyeing the unmoving rat in Ro's hand.
"It was never alive to begin with," Ro replied. He paused, then added, "You really don't know anything about this place, do you? Do you even remember anything before ending up here? Assuming you weren't always a talking skeleton."
"Like I said, I can't remember how or why I got here..." James began, but Ro cut him off, lifting the rat slightly.
"No need to worry. I don't doubt you," Ro said with a smirk, glancing at his brother as if searching for agreement. "I just have that feeling you're telling the truth."
A feeling? That doesn't sound right.
"But remember," Ro said, turning back to James and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "I'll know when you're lying to me."
"Well... that's not exactly reassuring."
"Can we go already?" Po asked from behind his brother, clearly growing impatient.
"How do we even know where to go from here?" James asked, looking at Ro, who was inspecting the crystal in his hand.
"This little beauty can detect all kinds of mana signals around it. That's how the little furball was able to find us," Ro explained. "But the real question is, how do we actually use it?"
"You don't know?!" James asked, a slight hint of panic creeping into his voice, surprising even himself.
"I'm not an expert," Ro replied, then turned to his brother and handed him the crystal.
"But I'm sure you've already figured it out, Po," Ro said, a hint of annoyance in his voice as his brother took the crystal and swapped it with the torch.
Within seconds, the crystal began to glow with a faint light.
"What did he do to it?" James asked, watching as the light started to pulse slowly.
"Don't expect a response. He's in his own bubble right now," Ro said, almost amused.
A few seconds passed in silence. Then Po stepped forward and turned left.
"This way," he said calmly, disappearing into the dark.
"He's the smartest, after all," Ro added with a shrug, before following him.
"Where is he going?" James asked, watching Po disappear into the shadows. His feet hesitated. He wasn't sure if following was the right move, but staying behind felt worse.
"The exit. Or at least I hope so. Either way, it's better not to stay here too long."
"But how? Does the crystal show him the way?"
"Kind of, but not exactly. Just follow us. You'll understand when we get there."
James nodded slowly, still unsure, but his options were thinning by the minute.