CHAPTER 178

Eulalie skittered about with anticipation as Sofia opened the door.

"Velvet's never gonna believe this," she said as she shot through the door and looked around.

It was an armory, lit from above by skylights. The dark corners of the room were illuminated with torches that burned brightly without generating any smoke. Much of the room looked damaged, but a few items were locked up in display cases that were up against the wall.

There was a loud thud as a mace lifted off the ground and slammed into the glass of its display case. Eulalie ran up to the case and danced around it with her hands over her mouth.

Several thick chains held the mace down, but it was able to thud against the edges of the case. She put her hands against the thick glass out of curiosity and was surprised when the mace moved away from her.

"Check this one out." Sofia gestured at a glass case full of water. When she walked close to it, it transformed into a replica of her sword, then shifted into a staff eerily reminiscent of the one she carried in the Library.

"Made of water, changes shapes..." Eulalie bit her lip. The data was there, she just couldn't put it together fast enough. It didn't help that her knowledge base was polluted with video game references.

"The legendary weapon, Varunastra. It can be anything you want it to be."

"Should we take it?"

Sofia grimaced. "Well, about that. It certainly seems accommodating, but if you aren't deemed worthy enough to wield it, it's supposed to kill the wielder. Maybe."

"How does it 'maybe' kill you?"

"Legends say it destroys you. Not technically the same as killing, so there's room for interpretation."

"Maybe it'll log into my social media and spout a bunch of racist shit." Eulalie wandered over toward the case and pressed her hands against it. The water bubbled and then turned into a net. "You'll never guess my password," she whispered dramatically.

The mace continued its incessant banging as they examined the rest of the room. There were other weapons of unknown origin, but the one that caught her eye was a sword with a hooked blade built into it.

"Any ideas on this one?" she asked.

"Hmm." Sofia frowned at it. "Shape rings a bell."

"Looks really sharp." Eulalie inspected the edges of the case. "There's no actual lock on these. How are we supposed to get in?"

The thudding behind them became even louder, and she turned around to see that the mace had gotten itself twisted up in the chains. The heavy links were crashing against the glass as the mace tried to rotate and free itself.

"That one really seems like it wants some attention." She looked over at Sofia. "Thoughts?"

"Weapons that have their own desires are almost always bad news." Sofia looked back at the hooked blade. "I'm starting to think that we might not be able to use anything here."

"It's all a matter of perspective." Eulalie looked at the sword, then ran her fingers along the case. She tapped her fingers on the glass, then wrapped her fist in spider silk.

"What are you doing?" asked Sofia.

"Just a little percussive maintenance." Satisfied that her hand and forearm were protected, she slammed her fist into the glass. It cracked after the first blow, then shattered on the second. Smiling in delight, Eulalie pulled the blade free and gave it a test swing.

"Please be careful with that," Sofia cautioned.

Eulalie inspected the sword. "It's insanely light. Feels like I'm swinging a dowel rod." She moved toward a broken case and swung the sword.

It was almost a casual gesture, but the blade passed through the case with ease. Stunned, she took a step back and examined the sword once again.

"Oh, wow, I think I know what this is." Sofia took the sword from Eulalie and turned it over in her hands. "I'm actually surprised to see it still exists. Gaia forged it so that one of her sons could overthrow Uranus. The sword was lost for some time, and it's been rumored that Perseus used it to behead Medusa. That's the last anyone heard of it, to my knowledge."

"Well, great! If it's sharp enough to cut a god, then it's probably perfect for what we need." She took it back from Sofia then looked around. "You don't happen to see a scabbard for it, do you? Feel kind of dumb just walking around with it."

Sofia shook her head. "This room's a mess. If there's a scabbard here, it's long gone."

Eulalie held the sword up and grinned. "It doesn't have a name, does it?"

"That's arguable, actually. Scholars call it the Harpe." Sofia walked over toward the door. "We should have Ratu examine it to make certain there aren't any surprises, though."

"Solid plan." Grinning, she swung the Harpe a couple more times and followed Sofia. She was about to step through the door when she felt a touch at the back of her neck.

Lala. The voice was barely a whisper, and she wasn't entirely certain she had heard it. It sounded like Velvet, and she was suddenly taken back to hours around the game table, her sorcerer and Velvet's ranger traveling the realm and defeating monsters. How many times had their characters found themselves in a magical tower? Whether fighting monsters, defeating an evil wizard, or just rescuing a prince, there was always a theme, a method to the madness.

Unsure why the memories were coming to her, she looked around the room. It had been ransacked, many of the items destroyed or left behind. What was the theme of this place, what secret had it held?

"Everything okay?" Sofia watched her from the hallway.