Lex stumbled with the churn of the landscape while he tried to ground himself. The long sleep had been unkind to him, as was his debriefer, Zeke. Nary a word from that man's mouth remained bereft of insult, of snide mockery and wholesale dismissal. Lex detested him shortly before Zeke vocalized himself, and loathed him thereafter. Was such an abhorrent trainer a punishment for joining this organization, or a test? He knew not, and his head ached far too much to consider it critically. Instead, he had orders - a task fit for the braindead.

Lex still felt the pounding in his teeth when he started down the first few steps. He wore no shoes; the cold stone felt clammy against the soles of his feet. Their roughness guided him down where sight faded. On either side of him, he could feel the hewn stone marking the sides of the small enclosure, and somewhere above they arched into careful support of the ascending rooms.

A clarion bell sounded, and Lex drew a pained breath.

Light grew in a slow flickering that wicked across the shiny texture of the walls. With each passing step, the area grew brighter - now, he could almost see color. Now, he could almost see his destination. Somewhere in the chamber beneath lay his weapon, ready for claim. Zeke mentioned that he would know which weapon was his, and that a partner within would lead him if he grew lost. In the haze of torchsmoke and splitting teeth, he knew not what the man meant. No weapon knew sentience. No partner of any sort - none living, certainly - existed in such a dank, smothering space.

Another step, and he saw the torch.

By now, the numbness started to recede from his extremities. His shoulder pained him as if he slept far too long on his side. The headache throbbed densely. He licked his lips and tasted salt.

Another step, and he felt the floor beneath his feet.

The bell sounded again. This time, Lex found it hurt less.

Another step, and he heard the low, rasping chuckle.

Lex halted, and he stared out into the room. Rows upon rows of tablets lined the walls, each bearing runic acknowledgements of weapons. Bows, swords, spears, axes, maces of all kinds laid claim on each tablet with their stark shapes. Nowhere did he find any partner, however, or the source of the giggle. Did Zeke send him through the wrong area?

The voice that assailed him bore a low pitch, and a gravelly timbre. "Oh no, my dear. You're in the right spot. Take your time, and your eyes will adjust to this place."

Her words don't echo-

"You're a bright one, I see. I like that. Come closer so I may see you for who you are."

With her continued speech, his headache waned. Excitement welled deep, and he swallowed it down; the moment urged seriousness. "You're ze partner he spoke of." A pair of steps, and he watched his shadow flicker and dance on his right. All around him, tablets loomed and waited for their choosing masters. He looked through guns and javelins, daggers and knives. "Speak. Tell me if I'm right."

"I am what you say, Hunter. Give me another taste of your intelligence and I might tell you more."

Lex could nearly feel her smile in his mind. He searched over more rows, more columns, more lists of weapon runes. She spoke from somewhere, but lacking sonance, he had no way to track her responses. From where she spoke through some manner of telepathy, she could be anywhere in the room - or even behind him - and he couldn't determine her placement. He thought of the bell that sounded earlier, and found no evidence of it in the area. Had she conjured that into his mind as well?

Thrice more the bell sounded, somewhere on his left, punctuated by another giggle. "How clever. Yes, you're right. There is no bell."

"I'm not interested in games." Turning too quickly, Lex sent the room askew. Another stumble left him feeling out his bearings again, and only when the space settled from its reveree did he venture another step. Searching, the flames from the torch illuminated a vast swath of the runes. How was he to know which was his? "What kind of weapon are you?"

"I am no mere weapon, Hunter," the voice spat harshly. "I am a harpy! I am worthy of respect! I have known more hunters than just you, a fledgling of a boy, and each hunter knew better than to treat me as a lowly weapon. I am more than that! I am beauty. I am cunning. I am power. And I choose only the best to bear my handle - Cxzne'Khyewcz accepts no less."

Lex smiled, teeth shining in the firelight. He searched for handled weapons on the mass of tablets. "Your current state affords you no grounds for zat argument. You haf' no means to make me submit, do you? No, you're a weapon on a wall, waiting for my choice. You are as helpless in zis as I. Schade, Weapon. Now gif' me your location so I may be done wis' zis trial." Another hawkish glance through the tablets confirmed one glowing in a distinct gold, a beckoning beacon waiting for his touch. He approached knowing the harpy must acquiesce. As Zeke stated before, they were bound together.

The creature loosed a sharp, birdlike sigh. "You have far more to learn than you think, Hunter. Arrogance is the foundation for death. Discard this ugly pridefulness or you will never wield me as you should."

As he touched the tablet, the weight of a weapon grew in his hand. Long, banded steel coiled into a makeshift rope at his side. Soon it left him, and the weight vanished. Along his hand, he felt the intricate jewelry of finger armor that curved to a point over his left index. The harpy left me her talons. How quaint.

"You will call me Lexington, and I will call you Malicious. Now, let's leaf' zis place."