Zane takes the stairs one step at a time.

Each step is slow and sluggish, with his hand sliding against the wall as he walks. Tommy had directed him here and he had been sent off alone, down and down the stairs until he comes upon a small room. The darkness is troubling, a sole torch left to illuminate a room too big for the flame that licks at the wood.

What the ginger finds interesting is the wall before him, filled with softly glowing runes that he thinks fascinating enough to inch forward until his hand is pressing against one of the tablets. Green eyes blink once, then narrow as he leans in, trying to make out the markings.

< Finally.> A voice snaps and he spins, heart thundering in his chest while his fingers twitch at his side. With a swallow, he speaks. "Who's there?"

<That's a good question.> The voice snorts, a humming erupting beneath Zane's fingertips as the press against a tablet behind him. <If you find me, I'll let you know.>

It sounds like a challenge, but also like effort and the man isn't keen on anything that requires effort, but he was sent down here to collect his weapon...surely this must be one of the tests?

"And if I don't want you?"

The humming shifts from something pleasant to something he thinks sounds more like a swarm of angry bees and he lifts his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay," he sighs, head shaking before he's pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. His chin tips and he finds himself looking at the runes again, fingers drifting across the glowing marking as he looks for one that strikes something with in him.

When he finds it, he has to stretch onto the tips of his toes, nails scraping against stone until he has enough purchase to pull the tablet free.

Zane's barely managed to sink back onto his heels when the room seems to flash and he turns his face away, eyes squeezed shut and dots spotting his vision.

"Well that wasn't fun," he grumbles, a new weight on his arm throwing him off balance. Green eyes blink open and take in the gauntlet that's consumed his arm.

<Took you long enough.> The voice - a woman's he thinks and definitely coming from the gauntlet - criticizes.

"Hey," he huffs, opting to glare even if he thinks it's pointless - it's the principal of the matter! "I found you, now who the heck are you?"

<Lerna. And you?>

Zane feels a little ridiculous that he thinks he's talking to an otherwise inanimate object, but most of his day has been pretty strange as it. This is just more icing on his new life cake.

"Zane." At least this thing - his weapon? - wasn't trying to call him sweet biscuit.

<Hm.> Lerna responds and the man doesn't quite know what to do so he shrugs and makes his way out of the room and back up the stairs.

Everything has to make sense sooner or later right?

He'll figure it out later. Probably.

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