"Where... Where did that come from?"
The woman was shocked and inquisitive about where the stunningly beautiful lantern had come from, but Mathew was too focused on analysing the relic to find the will to answer her. Finally, after a few moments of intense examination passed, he turned to the beautiful woman and asked in a flat tone.
"Do you know what this is?"
He gestured to the body of the lantern where a line of runes had been carved into it. The woman growled at him, but her curiosity had been piqued and she couldn't resist taking a look. She shifted her gaze to the runes, looked over them a few times and then raised a brow. For the next minute er concentration was unbreakable as she focused on the runes, at least that was what it looked like she was doing as her current expression wasn't one he had ever seen anyone make. After another few seconds, she looked away, placed he face in her psalm, rubbed her chin intently, then turned to Mathew and said with a mischievous grin.
"I have no obligation to answer your questions, so why should I?"
Mathew stared at her with rage welling up, in that moment he was tempted to abandon all reason and to beat the shit out of the woman. But after taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists tight, looked away, then sighed.
"Sorry for disturbing you then. You probably don't know the answer anyway."
Then he t
The woman grinned happily from ear to ear, thinking she would be able to get one over him after the disrespectful way he had treated her. But she soon realized there was no point to trying as her face flushed red when she looked back and watched him turn away and walk in the opposite direction.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Mathew responded without turning back.
"Well, you said you had no idea what this is, and I have nothing to do with you. So what's the point of staying together?"
The woman stood there utterly dumbfounded by Mathew's train of thought.
"Are you serious?" she said with a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth. Despite her feigning apathy, like anyone who found themselves in such an unreasonably dangerous situation, Mathew could see the signs that she was not as calm as she made herself to be.
"You think you can just... walk away?"
"Well... no I don't."
"So where are you going?"
Mathew looked back over his shoulder with a sly grin.
"I'm walking away."
Mathew then turned back and continued on his way.
'I don't have time for this crazy woman's crap. I need to find a way out of this damn maze.'
Interrupting his train of thought, the woman yelled.
"Wait!"
"What is it now?"
"I'm sorry, okay. I'll tell you what I know."
Mathew grinned and folded his arms in anticipation of what she was about to say.
"Alright, I'm listening."
The woman inhaled deeply, then exhaled sharply. Looked at him with a stern expression, then said in the most serious tone she could muster.
"It's just an inscription! And an old one at that!".
"I'm going to need more than some stupid observation like, it's old. What I want to know is what does the damn thing mean"
The woman sighed and shook her head in disappointment, and that sight made the veins on Mathew's forehead bulge.
"Just tell me what the damn thing means.
"Well if that is what you want to know... I don't know what it means either."
A silence fell over them as they stared at each other. Mathew's expression had shifted to one of disbelief, while the woman stood across from him with a proud grin plastered across her face.
"What, the actual, fuck!"
The woman raised a brow.
"Such vulgarity!"
"Have you lost your damn mind woman?"
"What? I answered your question didn't I? What's the problem now?"
A pool of rage bubbled beneath the calm exterior Mathew presented. He wasn't sure if the woman was toying with him, which was already something to be angry about. Or if she actually didn't know what it meant and was just wasting his time.
"So you know what it is, but you don't know what it means?"
"Exactly! Haven't I said that already?"
Mathew stood silent for a few more moments, then slowly let a chuckle slip through. Soon he erupted into a fit of hysterical laughter. He clutched ah his stomach and smacked his thigh violently. The woman grew increasingly more uncomfortable due to his sudden shift.
Inching closer, she asked.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"You're asking me if I'm okay, after spouting such bullshit?"
"What are you talking about?"
"What else would I be talking about?! I asked if you knew what these damn inscriptions meant!"
"Well of course I don't! Nobody does you peasant. It's a lost language from an ancient civilization. No one's been able to decipher it for centuries."
"So why the hell have you been wasting my... you know what? Forget it. I'm done dealing with your shit."
Without giving the woman a chance to respond, he swivelled and stormed off. She tried multiple times to call him back, but he refused to give her any more attention But before he could get too far, she yelled.
"I don't know what it means, but I've seen depictions of it somewhere in this godawful maze."
Overshadowed by a sense of curiosity, Mathew paused mid-stride.
"What do you mean.... you've seen depictions of it?"
But though his interest was sparked, there was still an air of apathy floating between them. The woman hesitated, her gaze drifting to the darkened hallway behind them, then back to Mathew. Relieved that he had stopped to listen, the woman stepped closer.
"Come on talk. I don't have all day."
"It means exactly what I said. I've seen depictions of it somewhere in this maze."
Mathew turned to face her.
"Where? And how do you know the ones you saw are related to these inscriptions?"
"I have a good memory don't worry."
"Where was it you saw them then?"
"I saw the damn things on a wall. They were was carved into a stone arch along its surface."
The young cynic thought to himself. 'Carved into a wall?' then raised the lantern in his hand, pointed to the symbols inscribed on its metal frame, and asked.
"And you're sure they looked like these?"
"Exactly like those."
"And where was this wall?"
The woman stood silent for a few moments then turned, and pointed towards the sea of darkness ahead. Her expression shifted grimly, then she said in a flat tone.
"There."