(Nephelont's PoV)
After discovering that the broken mask pieces repair our faces, we broke a support beam at the far end of the room. When I say "we," I meant the child did it. I was watching from the side as they broke the beam under a sturdy-looking wall. If it had collapsed, I would have dragged them out of there.
Moving on, we found ourselves in a room that connected to the other, vertical room that led us to the screeching bug. Just below the connecting tunnel, a bug, I assume a person, was humming while drawing something. They were surrounded by lots of drawing supplies. They stopped when they noticed us.
"Hmm? Ah, hello there. Come down to explore these beautiful old ruins? Don't mind me. I'll just keep drawing my map. You can keep exploring in peace" They said, returning to the piece of parchment right after.
I walked closer. They looked up again when I was at an arm's length. I pointed at the parchment in their hands, what they called their map.
"Exploring?" I was puzzled a little. They didn't have any traveling supplies, in terms of food or water. Then again, I don't know what these bugs eat for sustenance, or if they even need to.
"Yeah! I've a fondness for exploring myself. Getting lost and finding your way again is a pleasure like no other. We're exquisitely lucky, you and I" They seemed to realize something. My gaze lingered on the map for a bit, and they noticed it.
"My name's Cornifer. I'm a cartographer by trade, and I'm working on mapping this area right now. Would you like to buy a copy of my work so far? It only amounts to 30 geo" Cornifer said.
"What is geo?" I asked what seems to have been the obvious. The child tapped me on the shoulder as they raised one of the small things they were gathering.
"A foreigner, I see. Did you pass by Dirtmouth? Is the elder doing all right?" Cornifer asked us.
"As far as he showed us, yes" I answered. Although I wanted the map, the care with which he asked about the elder made me show some respect and answer first. "So, about the map" I fished 30 geo from... 'Where again?' When I paid attention, I noticed how geo was being deposited from my very limbs.
'Liquid being. Noted' I kept that at the back of my mind for now.
"My apologies" Cornifer picked up two new pieces of parchment. Looking behind me, I saw the child giving 30 geo of their own. "Give me a moment to copy my maps on new papers"
True to their words, it took them only a moment to copy the maps of the Forgotten Crossroads into a paper. Another moment was all it took to do so for the child's copy of the map as well.
"A map can be a useful thing, but it alone won't show you where you are. If you've not the head for directions, I suggest purchasing a compass from my wife, Iselda" The tender love Cornifer had while calling Iselda's name reminded me of Lia again.
'I hope I could return while Lia's still alive' I remembered Uncle Henryk. 'Though, that's an unfounded fear. Uncle could extend her life for as long as he himself lives'
"She's just now opening our new map shop in Dirtmouth, selling all sorts of useful things to wanderers like yourself. She'll even sell some of my old maps from time to time. I pop back to see her whenever I finish mapping an area. She's always so excited to see me" They finished with a bright tone.
"I do apologize for my invasive words in advance" That got Cornifer's attention on me. "Don't you fear leaving your wife behind, infected by the ailment spreading down below?"
"No harm done, fellow explorer of this kingdom's remains. I do fear it, yet I've always loved exploring the world. Why, when I was first hatched I wandered off immediately, leaving my brothers and sisters and poor mother behind! That's why as soon as I could I moved to Dirtmouth with my wife. A huge, unending Kingdom to explore right on our doorstep. Who could resist? Anyway, I'll let you return to your travels. With a little luck, we'll meet again. Be safe and farewell!" He seemed to be lonely down here, in need of a chatting buddy. Nevertheless, he was hinting at his desire to continue drawing his map.
"Farewell it is" I said before turning to leave.
As soon as I started walking away, something tugged at my senses, something moving in the air differently to the rest of the room.
'No way. That wall is thin enough for a wind current to flow through it from an adjacent room'
I turned back and walked past Cornifer, putting my hand over a pillar in the wall and feeling for the area behind it by seeping my own wind through the cracks. I was checking for the thickness of the surrounding cavern, as the room felt expansive. While checking the floors and ceilings of the room, I came upon what felt like a lever close to the pillar.
'Let's try'
I pulled the lever using my winds. Suddenly, the pillar pulled itself up and into the ceiling. A new way was opened for us. The child came over and peeked their head inside.
"It seems that we found a hidden path to explore, Cornifer. Would you like us to return with knowledge of this path?" I said as I observed Cornifer hurry to gather all the supplies, clearly incentivized to follow us through.
"I wish to traverse this path myself, young lady!" Cornifer said something that irked me. "How can I call myself an explorer if I passed up on this opportunity?"
"By the way" I started with a strained voice. "I'm a man" I completely forgot that I was using my natural voice as the base for what my winds replicate. Mine just so happens to be a copy of mom's voice.
"Sorry!" That was all Cornifer could muster while rushing past us. He was far too enthusiastic about exploring this unknown path that we were mere afterthought to him.
As Cornifer went his separate way, we checked the ritual-like area above a broken ledge. The masks of many bugs were gathered and thrown on the ground, producing a crunching sound with every step one took up here.
We shortly reached what looked like an abode.
'Someone lives here' There were lit fires around, braziers adorned with the masks of dead bugs.
"Oho! Who is that creeping out of the darkness? My, you're looking grim! A strange, empty face and a wicked looking weapon!
Something important has drawn you down into Hallownest's corpse, but I won't ask what. Perhaps the reason you've found me is because you need my help?
Say no more, friend. I'm going to give you a gift, a nasty little spell of my own creation. It's just perfect for a little one like you! Ohoho!" The inhabitant of this place said without stop, not giving us time to ponder their words. They waved their staff around, conjuring a ball of shining light. The mere presence of this thing and its shimmer made the air feel heavier.
"Why should we assume that it is safe?" I said. I didn't trust this stranger and their magic. It could be a death sentence for all I know.
"Don't be afraid. Have faith! That spell belongs to you now, all you need to do is take it! Ohohoho, you won't be going much further without it, I promise you!"
That ticked me off, but before I could say anything more, the child jumped at the ball of light, absorbing it into their body.
With a thud, their limp form fell to the ground.
"What have you done?" I said, already taking my weapon out.
"Nothing of my own. The spell is a powerful one, and his soul needs time to absorb it well! Oho!" The spellcaster said with what sounded like a genuine cheer.
I waited with my weapon still drawn and ready. I remained like that, in a state of high alert, until the child stirred awake. They immediately tested the new spell they acquired, launching a large projectile of destructive light and destroying some wooden beams in the distance.
I stood there, amazed at the destruction. I was also calmer now that the child turned to point at me and then at the stranger.
"Are you saying that I should get the spell as well?" The child nodded at my words.
"Interested in my spell, are we?" I heard an unnerving glee in the stranger's voice as they conjured a new ball of light.
I tried to sigh before I was reminded that I couldn't breathe in this body. I floated closer, unsure if I should just leave it and go.
'I could be manipulated by this. I shouldn't touch or absorb it' I thought, finally reaching a resolve. My resolve, however, would not be realized. I felt a push on my back, cursing my fate as I thought the child was manipulated by this snail-looking bastard.
In a final struggle, I lashed out and covered the stranger's body in wounds with blades of wind. Seeing my newest target of hatred still standing completely unbothered, I thought i was done for.
Well, that lasted until I realized I wasn't losing consciousness like the child did.
"Oh ho?!" I heard the stranger's voice, laden with surprise. It made me feel both embarrassed and angry. "So, were my assumptions true?! A spirit inside the body of what's supposed to be a shadow? Very interesting!"
Something the stranger said grabbed my attention.
'A shadow? How?'
"What do you mean by a shadow?" I asked while preparing to use the spell I was just given.
"Oh, I worry I cannot help you with that" The stranger rubbed their chin in thought. "The old moth in the Resting Grounds, or the Queen in her gardens, might be a better help. Ohoho. All I know about your ilk is hearsay"
"Where is that? Where could I find those Resting Grounds or the Queens Gardens you speak of?" I asked with urgency. I got a lead to what I am. If I knew myself, that would help in defeating the sun when I finally reached it.
"Sorry, but I forgot. It was such a long time ago, spirit" The stranger said an unapologetic shrug of their shoulders.
"Forget it, then" Something in me told me that the stranger was not lying, and I didn't know why I trusted that thing within. I turned around to leave.
"A word of caution, little shadow spirit" I halted my steps. "While a spirit like yourself could use my spell many more times and with much more force than usual, remember your limits" As we were about to leave, we were stopped by the stranger. "Oho! Not yet! You should repay kindness in kind, no? Ohoho!"
"What is it that you want?" I entertained the thought of helping in exchange for the spell, should the task he sets be easy enough.
"Oho! An Elder Baldur has taken residence in my shamanic mound, you see. Take care of that pest for me and you would have repaid me for the spell!" The stranger, who proclaimed themselves a shaman, has stated their price.
I silently went deeper inside the mound. After wandering inside, we came upon a fork in the road. The Elder Baldur was right below us, but there was more to explore ahead of us.
'I'd rather be done with this creepy shamanic mound and get out as soon as possible' I thought while our every step caused the masks of dead bugs to crunch below our feet.
The child went to explore ahead without waiting for me to follow them. I decided to leave them be, since the only things my winds picked up on were small rolling creatures that we already fought. They were abysmally weak.
Breaking a few wooden planks, I descended into a larger room with what I assumed to be the Elder Baldur in it. The very first thing it did was to spit orange goo in my general direction. I strafed it and fired the spell at it.
The creature flinched a little. I took that opportunity to get closer and whack it with the weapon. My weapon bounced off its shell as it rolled around itself. I tried to pry it open to no avail. It rolled up too firmly.
I got an idea, distancing myself from it. That worked, allowing it to spit one of those rolling bugs at me.
'So those are Baldurs?'
I crushed the little critter and noticed a refreshing feeling spreading across my soul.
"Interesting" It felt good in a good way, so I relished in it for a short moment.
I shook myself out of that moment to fire the spell again, feeling for the drain this time.
I waited for the Elder Baldur to spit another Baldur at me, and it shortly did. It watched with total disregard as I crushed the second one.
As I measured the difference in my soul, it seems that I consume my very soul when I use this spell. In return, I replenish it by hitting living things three times using this semi-broken weapon. That was a rough estimate, but it sufficed for now.
I filled my soul completely before the child barreled in and fired their own spell at the Elder Baldur, taking the kill from me.
'Not like that matters here, I believe'
The Elder Baldur exploded into a pile of shell pieces, guts and geo. I gathered about three fourths with my winds and left the rest for the child. The child stood chillingly still for a prolonged period of time, staring at me with their hand slowly inching closer to their weapon.
"Are you a hoarder of some kind?" My words snapped them out of their stupor.
With an uncanny feeling, as if I'm not looking at something alive, the child went back to picking up their share of geo. Their movements while gathering the geo felt wrong, as if they lacked the enthusiasm they displayed the few times geo was in front of them.
'I should leave more geo for the child later'
I conceded a third of the geo I got from the creature to the child. That brought life back to them.
'Splitting geo gains in half seems to be enough for them to be happy. Noted'
We went back down, not before the child brought two trinkets from somewhere beyond where the creature once stood.
"Can we have these?" I asked. It was still a possession of the mound's owner, not ours. It would be wrong to take it without permission.
"Oho?" The snail shaman looked over. "Those little things? You can have them! Making them is an arduous task, but is easy once you get the hang of it. I can make many more besides those two! Ohoho!"
We had a little more talk about how to use them or what effect they have. The snail shaman explained that we need to hang them on special notches made to extract their effects and grant them to us, and how they need more notches depending on the size and weight of the trinket, or what they call a charm.
The ones we were given by the shaman were called Soul Catcher charms. They helped us get more energy from striking our foes.
Exiting the mound, we headed east. After striking down some foes, and testing the charm, its effect was as said. It made us more efficient in gathering more energy from enemies.
'Now that I think about it, the shaman called the energy 'soul'. If I ran out, would I simply die? Is that why I was warned by them?'
While testing the charms, we were alarmed to hear Cornifer's frightful cries for help and the rooms experiencing the equivalent of a little localized earthquake. An earthquake it was not, however, as the sound of something striking before it led to my belief that Cornifer was in trouble.
"Hurry" I said to the child before rushing towards the place where I heard Cornifer's voice coming from. It was to my horror that I arrived as a beat up Cornifer was about to get pounded with a two-handed mace, the head of which was the same size as him.