The two scholar slowly made their clumsy way through the courtyard, holding the shapeless canvas wrapped around the best remains. "Mind the spikes," said Jessica. Grent nodded, his face tense with the effort of keeping the package. Puffing and grunting, they reached the house with the mismatched roofs. While trying to get through the door, they lost their grip, and the package fell onto the ground with a dull thud. "Shit! Sorry!" exclaimed Grent. Jessica grinned and answered, "I hope you didn't kill it." Grent looked at her for a few seconds before both their laugh echoed through the hallway. When they picked up the package again, some blue bloodstains remained on the dirty floor.
The beast's carcass lay on the table, glinting tools ready on trays around it. The light was dim, but Jessica didn't mind. She slowly paced the place, breathing in the familiar smell of books and knowledge. "This feels like home," she muttered. Grent heard and looked at her with tender eyes, but he quickly averted his eyes when she looked at him. "I'm glad you like it, I'm alone here… so I do what I can with the upkeep." Jessica nodded, her eyes still scanning the room. Like a magnet, she slowly approached a door. Her hand caressed the rough wood. "They're behind it, aren't they?" Grent walked to her side and answered, "Yes, that's the hunters' library. Do you want to take a look?" The young female reluctantly withdrew her hand. "No, books can wait. We have work to do." They both looked at the dark blue shape on the table. The dead beast had lost all its glow. They walked toward knowledge. Together.
For a while, all that could be heard around the table was the soft noises of organic tissues being cut. The noise was regular and rhythmic, like a song of the flesh. Strange organs were displayed, cut open with utmost precision and care. The two scholars' eyes shone with a strange, hungry light while they worked. From time to time, they glanced at each other, but words were unnecessary; they were dancing in perfect communion through the ritual. It seemed like one single entity was probing at life's secret. Its limbs moving in harmony, tools being passed from one hand to the other. Fingers and prongs held gaping wounds open while the others were cutting slices of blue muscles and tissues. Jessica felt slightly dizzy, as if she were tipsy. She felt and enjoyed the intimate closeness with Grent. It was like they had worked together for years. It takes one to know one, she thought, smiling.
Their masterpiece lay on the table in all its splendor. Jessica and Grent washed their hands. Then, as they looked at the result of their work, Grent murmured, "You're incredible, Jessica." She bumped his shoulder playfully. "Stop that, we need to document it now." The young man grinned and opened a large drawer, taking out parchment and quills. Soon, the silence was woven with scratching sounds. Pages were filled with annotated drawings, text of observations filled the blanks on the corners of pages. Almost at the same time, the two scholars laid down their pens.
Jessica reviewed her work, checking for mistakes and inconsistencies. Then she said, "We should exchange our pages and proofread each other's observations." Grent nodded and offered his parchments before withdrawing them. His voice was shaking with fear and admiration. "Your work is so beautiful! The drawings… it really looks like the real thing… And your writing… so elegant." He blushed and cradled his work against his chest, "I can't show you what I wrote and drew." Jessica looked at him sternly, "Don't be ridiculous, it's the analysis that matters, not the drawings." Grent timidly handed his pages over. He wanted to stand there and wait for the young female's verdict, but one glance from her was enough for him to take her pages and return to his seat.
After a while, Jessica laid down the parchments. "You have a sharp mind. I can see you're used to doing this kind of work. My observations seem surface-level in comparison." Grent blushed at the praise and said, "At least you included some observation about its power when it was alive. Imagine what we would learn with a live specimen." Jessica sighed and said, "Yeah, I'll try to convince Chala not to kill the next one." The young man laughed, tried to control himself, and laughed even more. Jessica joined him with a chuckle. Then she frowned and asked, "You're a hunter, what is your relic weapon?" The laugh died instantly.
The silence struck the room like thunder. It almost looked like the hacked beast reacted to the tension. Jessica looked at Grent, puzzled. "What's the matter? Is it what I said?" The scholar nodded slowly, his face drained of blood. "You heard Chala, you're a recruit. That means I'm not allowed to talk to you about shadow relics. Only Chala can do that." Jessica found the fear of the young hunter amusing, and she teased further, "Why is it only Chala who can tell me about them?" The hunter got up and said, teeth clenched, "If you continue, I will leave." The woman raised her hand in a calming gesture. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. What can you tell me then?" Grent sat down again. He took a deep breath and said, "I can tell you I'm a hunter. I used to go hunting outside, but when my interest in and talent for research and knowledge were discovered, I was ordered to stay at the base. I'm too precious to the hunter to risk on the battlefield."
Jessica let the silence breathe for a moment, then she nodded thoughtfully. "You are precious. The guardian of all the knowledge about portals and the monsters they release." Grent gave her a thin, shy smile. The woman grinned at him, "Don't worry, Chala scares me sometimes too." Grent mirrored her smile. The tension returned to the corner of the room and coiled comfortably in the shadow. Jessica was glad the situation de-escalated. She understood the hunter's fear, but she thought, Only I know Chala's softer side; they only see the scary leader. Poor Chala, you must feel so alone.
Her gaze wandered to the old wooden door again. "Time for books?" Said Grent mischievously. Jessica tried not to blush and softly echoed, "Time for books."
The light was even dimmer in the library. Mismatched shelves went up to the ceiling, covered in books of all shapes, some looked new, some were falling into pieces. It was hard to know where the walls were, like a soft fog was disturbing one's vision. Jessica and Grent looked at the line of books. The young woman slowly traced their spines with her fingers. "Do you have the history of Alios and Gareon in here?" she asked absentmindedly. The scholar answered, "Well, of course, I even have the original text, before all the myth and legend stuff got added, it was written by the only witness of the battle, Chala himself." Jessica's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Chala was there?" The hunter grinned, "Yeah, want to read it?" He started searching for the manuscript. Jessica froze and asked, "Do you think he would allow that?" The young man smiled, "If he said unrestricted access, he meant it." After shuffling through some books, he finally said, "Ah, here it is, it's an original, so it doesn't leave this room, but you can stay and read." Jessica smiled and shook her head. "That would be captivating, but I should focus on the hundreds of types of portals and monsters first." The scholar grinned, "Monsters it is." They walked together to another isle of the dark library.