There was a twisted, aged battlefield over the next hill - but the spectre had not lied, no. There was a ruin ahead, a partially crumbled but largely still intact thing across the way, say atop another hill.

Rake paused to peer at banners and half rusted through shields, squinting when an image in common was engraved or otherwise depicted. Those were coursers, sure enough, but what was the purpose, of constantly depicting them in some sort of very personal clash?

"...What do you make of that, Fetch? The... the symbols. Like a coat of arms."

Fetch's brow furrowed, studying them once he'd pointed them out - an expression of distaste settling as they realized what it consisted of.

"I- Hmm. It's very old. Good. Whoever designed it is no longer designing such things." She said, lightly stamping a hoof and then returning to her usual silence. Fair enough, Rake thought. They pressed on, weaving through the battlefield, up towards the structure on the next hill. Rake would pause now and then, and pried several 'man' skulls loose - having Sparse, the bat, roll them into one of his satchels. Prism had been after something of the sort, and a little curried favor always came in handy later.

They wound their way up the steps, to the entrance - and with their combined efforts, managed to shoulder the heavy old stone doors open.

"It's so... intact. Worn, surely, but... I don't quite like the look of it." Rake would murmur towards Fetch in low tones, as they tentatively proceeded into the structure. Corrode had been sent here, or had come here himself for something, and had not come home. He did not know if the danger that had prevented his homecoming was still here.

Before long, the passages wound their way into a large open room, where every hoof step echoed.

There were a large number of... statues? Something else? 'Depictions' of coursers standing about the room - some in faint, no doubt painted colors, but others completely stone gray, with limbs or heads snapped off and strewn elsewhere on the marble floors.

... That was... odd. All of them, had similar neckpieces, necklaces with something heavy on the end - real, intact, valuable looking things. He exchanged a look with Fetch, and they both grimaced, as they wound further into the mess of 'statues' - or, as Rake suspected, real coursers.

Rake turned his head - and froze.

There was one statue, the sort with faint colors, as if painted, in a morose pose, the necklace only twined about one front raised hoof. The coloration of the 'paint', however...

He didn't finish the thought before he rushed that direction, Fetch moving after him and calling out.

"Be careful - what is-"

Rake had skidded to a halt in front of the familiar, Corrode patterned 'statue', staring in its eyes.

"... That's my friend, Fetch. That's- ... my friend." He said eventually, quietly.

"... I'm sorry."

He watched the familiar creases of that frozen face, a sting pricking at the corner of his eyes - but-

There was a slight movement, of the eyes, and they still - or maybe he was hoping - they still shined with life.

"...The - Fetch, d'you have a cloth? I don't want to touch it directly, but the - the necklace, the artifact." He looked pleading, and Fetch rummaged in their packs, soon dropping a square of fabric on the marble.

Carefully, Rake took this into his mouth, letting it sit uncomfortably over prehensile lips, and his teeth both - and then, with a long stretch of trail and error (he couldn't feel what he was doing as well), he unwound the chain of the necklace draped and wrapped over the fore hoof - and dragged it down, before letting it drop to the floor-

It shattered on impact, and he jolted.

Corrode wasn't moving, wasn't-

There was a ragged, gasping sound, after several moments - and Corrode was moving again, he was alive, and he was stumbling against Rake's shoulder, unable to hold himself up-

"Shit- shit- Core- Alright, alright-" Rake was easing him down into a laying position, kicking away the remnants of the amulet. He'd dropped the cloth, and Fetch had collected it, scanning their head about.

"... Rake. Stay with your friend." They nodded their head at him, and Rake understood - they were seeing if they could find anyone else intact enough to save amongst the crowd of 'statues'. He eased himself down, pressed in close to Corrode, who hadn't spoke yet.

"...h...H.. Rrr- Rake...?"

"I'm here."

A stretch of silence, and a exhausted, trembling sigh against him. One of Rake's ears pricked, hearing the startled sounds of whatever intact soul Fetch had managed to free.

"... Rrake... I want to go home..."