"Do you hear what I am hearing?"
"Sounds like the clattering of an insect… Like in the attic at home"
The two brothers had ended their little vacation back at Throdqdmond and were now back at the academy, turned into a military school, the two of them had proven to be capable enough to be given greater ranks than that of a common soldier since they were able of learning some basic battle arts, they had both been awoken by most suspicious sounds in the night.
It had been going on for a while now, both of them were starting to seriously suspect that something was off about this place, but everytime they talked about it to the headmaster, the old man would casually wave their concerns off, saying that he was very well aware of who and what went about the academy ground, even stating that the smallest of insects could not escape his watchful eye.
Although they were starting to suspect that he might not be paying the most attention since he was receiving the visit of a rather cute death hunter often these days, it was doubtful where his eyes were wandering the most these days.
"Yeah, but at home we sleep in the attic, this is clearly coming from further away than this, how big would that thing have to be to sound so loud?" Zola took the lead and stepped into the hallway, tapping on a lantern to get it going.
"I am telling you, it's probably just the runesmiths or whatever they are called that make some weird noises" Saul proposed a simple explanation but still followed eagerly, curiosity might have killed the cat, but neither of them had ever heard this idiom.
Moving as silently as they possibly could, they followed the clattering, trying to pinpoint its source, although many other soldiers here had seen or heard odd things, Saul and Zola were most familiar with the clattering as the room they had decided to occupy alongside a few others that were sleeping so deeply that one might assume they were dead save for the rising of their chests, this room was close to the stairs leading to the underground area of the academy, where the majority of the craftsmanship took place.
So this was where the works on the trebuchet were taking place, many times they had attempted to find the source and failed as it ended before they got anywhere, but tonight, they were moving faster, tip toeing their ways down the stairs, looking into the wide rooms were some people were still going around, carving runes on the enchanted wood's surface and running tests, enchanters and runesmiths exchanging opinions and arguing, eyes surrounded by dark bags, clearly overworking themselves, yet appearing the opposite of exhausted, jumping in place and erratic.
A bunch of very nice people, but the brothers would rather not interact with them right now, they were probably not even registering the clattering of insectoid legs at this very moment.
"Oh hey you two! Still awake so late?! Feeling some unrest? Looking for some assistance?!" one of such awfully energetic late night workers appeared like a phantom from behind their back, slapping both hands onto their spines with much too strength for such a small woman.
She was one of the bestfolks that had come to Tamaris, neither of the brothers remembered her name or what exact sort of species she was, but her bug eyes and antennae poking and slapping into them as she swung her head around were certainly harder to forget.
"Oh hum… Hello" Saul looked over at his brother, signalling him to come up with something.
Zola shrugged his shoulders as the insect woman fidgeted her fingers, it wasn't like they weren't allowed here and had to justify themselves or anything, Saul was just nervous because a girl was speaking to him.
"Excuse me, but are you hearing this distinct clattering?" in the distance, it was not stopping for once, even growing a bit faster from the times before, the insect woman tilted her head, bringing one finger to her lips as her antennae twitched, listening attentively.
"Oh, you mean Irbyw? It's true that the sound of her legs reach pretty far" after a while, she responded with utter certainty, suddenly gasping.
"Ah I see…" she chuckled "Interested in the owner of such a distinct pitter patter? I don't blame you, she's a rather pretty spider! Just follow the sound!"
Going back to the work on the trebuchets, leaving the two of them with a lot of questions.
"I never realised she was like that…" whispered Saul, his brother leading the way once again.
"Well then, let's go check out what that Irbyw is up to" Zola was not exactly convinced just yet, wanting to see that so-called spider himself, although he was more-so curious about what the source of this awful tapping was, and also wanting to ask this Irbyw to lay off on it when it was time for them to rest.
Both moved into the underground, passing by smithing rooms, enchanting rooms, alchemy rooms, artificing, runes, and a whole bunch of craftsmanship disciplines they had no clue about.
"What the hell is transposition-" Saul shone his light close to read the word, hastily silenced.
At the very end of the long hallway they were in, albeit clearly closed, light could still be made out from the gap underneath the door, it was well away from where the people working on the siege weapons were, suddenly a bit spooked for some reason, they still carefully approached.
Each time the planks beneath their feet creaked, they felt like cursing aloud at whoever decided that this was a thing that should be possible with this accursed material that was wood.
Finally arriving up to this most foreboding, but regular door, they brought their ears close, the clattering was very clear now, and they were able of telling that it seemed like the person producing it was pacing back and forth.
"Hey, don't worry honey, all is under control, my concoction has never failed me! You know what- I'll throw myself of a cliff if-"
"-Alright, alright, I won't disappoint expectations, it will work out, but I won't promise any new catches, everyone is much too tense and on guard, unless you are willing to furnish us with-"
Whoever was speaking must have lowered their tone as they heard nothing after this.
"-Oh… Okay, that will be done then" the speaker, a feminine voice seemed taken aback but unwilling to question.
More importantly, the two brothers felt the hair on the back of their necks standing as their skin tensed up, the voice had sounded clearer, like it was closer and oriented toward them, or at least, more arched in their directions than before, without hesitation, they hurried over to a nearby room, thankfully finding it open, hiding inside.
The illuminated door swung open with much poise, somehow they could tell that however did it had done so in the best way possible, like some sort of expert of opening doors.
Hiding in the darkness, lantern unlit and hiding behind some sort of workbench, the way to the room they were in swung open with the same grace, only to shut almost immediately, no steps were heard leaving the premises in the least, the door to the lit room seemed to have never closed, so the two brothers did not move for hours on end.
Until they finally found the courage, finding out that there were no doors at the end of the hallway, and that no one was there.
"Okay, that's pretty freaking weird, we aren't drunk right?" Zola shined the lantern right in his brother's face.
"We haven't drunk since we went to Throdqdmond!" shielding his eyes, they both poked at the wall just to make sure but it was a most solid and filled wall, nothing could possibly be hidden behind.
So they went back to their room, incapable of closing their eyes until the call was given for training to commence.