Jim said go to the weapons cove. Why? It would become clear here. It would also be magical apparently. Not that Mallaidh doubted him! No, that Jim was a really nice guy! He wouldn’t lie to her, no. She just kind of hoped she would have been told more instead of being dropped off by this cove and then told to ‘handle it, Roy’. After this, she was then to go get herself a dorm room and speak to the quarter master and oh dear, she was fretting. The young woman cupped her cheeks are she stared down the stairs that ended in darkness.

One thing at a time, right? An order was an order? She didn’t need anymore reason than that honestly. It was a direction to head in, so she’d do it to her best ability, no matter how unsure she felt about all of it.

The young woman descended the stairs, keeping a hand on the wall as she moved down. She hesitated as it started to get darker, her stomach clenching with nervousness before she shook her head, curls bouncing. Mallaidh pushed on, and once at the bottom she was greeted by the sight of a small room, lit by a single torch. Now she was just confused. Weapons cove? She didn’t see any weapons in here, only stone tablets of some sort! Oh no! Did she go down the wrong path? She was certain this was the only one…no…she must have missed it! This was terrible! She was failing already. Mallaidh started to fret again, her hazel eyes drifting back to the tablets at the back. They had interesting marks on them, she could note, despite her worry…and it was rather curious! She glanced back up the stairs, and then back at the wall. Just a quick look…then maybe she’d go back to find Jim and ask where the weapons cove was!

With that in mind, she cautiously moved to the back of the room, squinting at the runes that covered the tablets. A moment passed, and then another. Hey! She gasped. The little runes looked like weapons. Wow! So cool! Just as quickly as her worry had set on, it disappeared, now replaced by curiosity. A hand came up to touch one of the runes, and that was when a loud humming sound reverberating in her head. A palm came up to rub her forehead as her brows furrowed. “What’s that noise…?” She murmured, clenching her eyes shut until a loud, booming voice seemed to echo off of the walls.

<OI!>

Mallaidh screamed.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She wailed, clenching her eyes shut as she clenched her fists defensively. “Jim told me to come down here, sir!” That’s right. She was throwing Jim under the bus. She bit her lip, eyes snapping open to hesitantly seek out the person who had caught her down here…but the room was empty. A deep chuckle rolled through now, belonging to the same voice, but still, there was no one there. The young woman looked back and forth, drawing herself closer to the wall worriedly.

<Quite the lungs on yeh! I haven’t heard wails like that in a long time…and the last time it belonged to a banshee!> The voice sounded terribly amused, and Mallaidh was on the verge of a panic attack, because she still couldn’t find where the voice was coming from, her curls whipping side to side violently as she tried. <Right here!> The voice boomed again, and the young woman pulled herself off of the wall to stare at the tablets, though one in particular stood out to her among the rest.

A hand came up to rub her head as a humming sound seemed to fill her ears as well. “…W…who are you?” She meekly questioned…talking to a stone tablet. It was like a pet rock…except it talked back. <Tell yeh in a moment! Come on now, get meh out of here now!> She didn’t need to be given an order twice. Mallaidh responded very well to authoritative figures! The one tablet that seemed to be calling to her, she reached out for, placing a hand over the glowing rune. Jim was right. It was magical. The next thing she knew, a handle seemed to materialize in her grasp. <Well don’t just stand there, ghoul! PULL!> The young woman yelped, and then did was she was instructed, now grasping the handle with both hands as she pulled on it. The next thing she knew, there was a rather long and large lance in her hands. Not to mention it was a bit heavy.

Mallaidh fell right over.

The lance landed on the floor with a noisy clatter and rolled a bit away from her. <OI!> The voice snapped again, making her wince. <That’s not how yeh treat meh! Pick meh up!> She scrambled to her feet, apologizing profusely as she reached out for the handle again, but this time, the weapon shifted, and shrinking it size as it coiled around her wrist to form a golden, spiral bracelet with deep green accents.

Mallaidh stared, flabbergasted.

<Now that’s better! Jack Skellington…> The voice seemed exasperated. <I hafta work with yeh? Oh Sweet Sally help meh. This is going to be a long journey.> Mallaidh wasn’t exactly sure what had just transpired, but now instead of a talking pet rock, she had a talking lance bracelet! “I…I’m sorry!” She whimpered. “I’ll try my best, I promise!” She still wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be trying…but the intention was sincere, really!

<Stop yehr blabbering! Just think! Don’t need folks to be hearing yeh cry like that!>

Just think?

“But I…” L…like this?

<Much better! Now, what’s yehr name, ghoul?>

“Ma…” Mallaidh...

<Molly?> The voice echoed. <Meh…it will do! The name is Vaska, and from now on, yeh will be my vessel!>

Uh…okay. The young woman stared at the bracelet with a dubious expression. Vaska…a talking pet bracelet…did Jim have a talking pet bracelet too? Goodness gracious…this was all a lot to adjust to. Just as Vaska had said, it was going to be a long journey. Simply getting out of the weapons cove was like climbing a mountain, and the young woman seemed to wince every so often as she stumbled back out into the light, and following some rather questionable directions from her new talking pet bracelet.