Two weeks passed. Speraka helped Verene search enthusiastically. Although they knew little of each other, they gained small tidbits of each other’s lives with each meeting and word spoken. As the search continued, Verene was worried the priestess would push herself too hard. After searching the treatment rooms, they decided to start on the far east end of the temple and look through every room as they headed west.

Verene had planned to go straight to the storage rooms. But after learning that those rooms were scattered throughout, searching in a line seemed more efficient. At this point, much of the eastern side had been checked by the two.

“What’s your friend like?” Speraka asked suddenly.

They were in a room that resembled a library, although most of the books appeared long since removed.

“He’s a brat.” Verene responded.

Speraka looked over in surprise. “But you’re friends with him? I don’t see that ending well if you view him that way.”

Verene laughed heartily at Speraka’s sincere response.

“He’s not quite literally a brat, although he is spoiled. Yayscha is...” Verene tried to explain. “Well, He’s someone who’s hard to hate honestly.”

“Yayscha? How did you meet him?”

“We grew up together. We used to train together as well, but his health wouldn’t let him keep up.”

“So, you both aimed to be knights?”

“That was just my goal. He mostly just tagged along when he was able.”

“Oh. You sound close, no wonder you traveled here for him.”

Verene laughed again. Speraka couldn’t find the humor in her words.

“Well. I guess I care. Yayscha’s father kicked me out of the city. I heard rumors regarding the artifact before, so I had nothing better to do and came here.”

Speraka was at a loss for words. This matter seemed incredibly important, how could Verene joke. Also, how in the world did someone like Verene get banished? She didn’t seem like a criminal.

"Your friend's father must be important to banish someone." Speraka commented. This seemed like the least intrusive way to ask for details on the matter.

“Oh yes. He is the king of Avanin, so he does hold some weight there.” Verene said straightforwardly. “He actually ordered me to marry Yayscha. Said why, not your friends already. And I told him no.”

“If you’re a knight, I guess that would make you near royalty. A lot of texts state that.” Speraka observed. "Are you okay though? Being banished is not good, right."

Verene waved her hand nonchalantly as if she were physically trying to clear the air. "I'll be fine. The King has always treated me like I was his niece or family, so he'll cool off from this fit of his eventually. I'll likely be fine to go home once my search here is complete."

“Oh. Then I suppose that is good then.” Speraka said absentmindedly.

The wood of the near-empty shelves had succumbed to the moss and moisture that permeated the ruined parts of the building. Verene was near the wall, checking for any hidden compartments. Speraka was just behind her, checking the shelves, confirming that the items she had left behind while moving the books out centuries ago were not the object Verene sought.

An old book weight, carved with leaf motifs, received the faint white light as Speraka checked it with magic. No reaction, she sat it to the side on the shelf to a sound of a creak. The room was exposed to the weather through the shattered windows and cracked stones allowed the outside elements to enter and cause rot.

The weight plummeted towards the floor, causing the fragile shelves to break, unable to stop the fall. The bookcase wobbled, only slightly more stable than the moist shelves it supported. But the bookcase started to lean towards Speraka as the weight hit the base.

As the contents remaining began to fall, Speraka flinched unable to move back quickly enough. Although she only felt a weight on her shoulder. She looked up to see that Verene had reached over to stop the falling shelf. One of her hands placed upon Speraka’s shoulder.

“Nothing fell on you?” Verene asked. She glanced down at Speraka.

“Fortunately, no.” Speraka said. She felt a slight squeeze before Verene released her shoulder.

“Can you step back? I’ll see if I can set this down without breaking anything else.”

Speraka wove her way towards the wall. With the way clear, Verene grasped the bookcase and gently lowered it towards the ground. She released it when her hands almost touched the floor, leaving the case to fall the final distance.

Both released a breath knowing the accident ended.

“Did anything hurt you?” Speraka moved forward, ready to cast a healing spell.

"Shouldn't I ask you that?" Verene smirked. "I'm fine though. We'll need to be careful around any wood structures. I can't let you get squashed now."

“Yes. I wasn’t able to keep up with a lot of the temple. It’ll be worse on the other half.”

“It’s a large place. One person can only do so much.”

Alone. Speraka silently added the word to Verene’s comment.

“We shouldn’t push ourselves too much.” Speraka smiled. “Why don’t we take a short break.”