You come across the frame and torn skin of a drum lying on the Moor. Have you heard music before? Do you like it? And who would play music in a place like this?

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The two Coursers continue their journey through The Moor of Sleep, and although the atmosphere surrounding them is still incredibly creepy, none of them complain out loud, moving forward without a hitch. For now, there were no wandering spirits around, only being able to be seen in a distance, but they weren’t interested in the two adventurers at all, moving aimlessly through the abandoned battlefield of the past.

Even crows weren’t as loud as before, and everything became more quieter now, only the noise of hooves touching the moist ground, then clicking against the few parts that were covered in cobblestone, or dried completely and made an uncomfortable sound whenever you stepped on it. Only Mothra let out a few sounds, whenever it felt endangered, but Cithis was quick to hum a quick reassurance to calm her friend down.

After what felt like hours of walking, it was time for another rest… hopefully one not laced with terrifying nightmares.

Cithis placed her lantern down, along with the bag thrown over her neck and stretched out her legs, shaking her head, thankful for putting up her mane in a bun before setting out on this dive. She curiously looked around, both to check for any danger, and to see whether any kind of loot was scattered around… And while it wasn’t a foe, or a treasure she’d be able to take back home with her, a ruined drum laying nearby caught her interest.

The giant moth immediately flew over to the frame and torn skin of the drum lying on the Moor, standing nearby and sniffing it cautiously, as it to assess the potential danger it posed to its Courser friend.

“Aww, too bad it’s in pieces…” Cithis sighed, leaning her head down to look at the ruins of the drum, to see its design. It was definitely more crude than the ones that were made in current times on the surface, but it had its own charm; the frame being nicely painted, with various symbols and paints used to bring the drum’s form to life.

She enjoyed music, a lot. On the upper levels of the dungeon, she always found something that’d let out melodious noises – whether these were weird mushrooms, that let out a different sound depending on which one you touched, or creatures “singing” in their own languages, which always reminded her of the magical and mythical nature of the dungeon.

“Just don’t try and bring it back to the surface. The last time someone tried that with another one of these, they heard only annoying, headache-causing ringing that resembled screams in their ears, until they returned it back to The Moor.” Logue commented, letting out a soft chuckle as he saw the terrified look on Cithis’ muzzle. It seemed he didn’t need to be worried about any stupid ideas that could unfold in the grullo’s mind now.

“I wasn’t even thinking about it! I’m not that greedy for unique treasure…” Cithis pouted in mock offense that the mercenary accused her of such thoughts. “The spirits of The Moor of Sleep probably like to play it when no one’s around…” she hummed, deep in thought. Was it a form of entertainment for Coursers after death, to soothe the spirits that were unable to rest? She surely hoped it didn’t belong to those weird, two-legged creatures called humans, or something… After what she saw, she didn’t think they’d deserve such way of relieving their afterlife pain.

While Cithis didn’t touch the remains of a drum, Mothra moved on its legs and suddenly climbed up on top of the ruined drum before any of the Coursers could react, and the grullo was about to tell her moth friend to immediately get off of it, when a soft melody could be heard.

Logue’s eyes widened a little bit, before he let out a soft laugh.

“Seems like it has quite the talent for creating music.” he commented. “But in all seriousness, it’s probably due to its connection to the dungeon. Magic, and all that.”

Cithis narrowed her own dark brown eyes, and while she was happy that the seemingly useless drum could still play tunes with some magical mumbo jumbo, would it not… attract the spirits wandering nearby? She quickly looked around their temporary resting spot to check whether any ghostly Courser or other creature moved their way, but the coast was as clear as much as it was possible in a creepy place like The Moor.

“Oh, you’re worried about spirits? They shouldn’t bother us.” Logue quickly noticed what seemed to be on his companion’s mind. “They only gather when another spirit plays the drum, otherwise they’ll just ignore it. And it’ll probably calm them down anyways, so it’s a good thing for the rest of the journey.” he added, and Cithis sighed in relief. She hoped to be as knowledgeable about the dungeon as the mercenary in the future.

The Courser relaxed and laid down by the drum, watching her moth chirp happily to the tune played by the drum remains, its giant body swaying from side to side to the calm music, fluttering its wings as Cithis chuckled, enjoying the first calmer moment of rest ever since she stepped foot in The Moor of Sleep. There were no croaking crows for now, only waiting for the adventurers to trip and fall to their demise, just so they’d be able to feast upon their corpses; the wandering spirits, now calmed down by the ancient melody, didn’t bother the two Coursers resting spot. No hellhounds that haunted her dreams, wishing to bite harshly and deeply into her legs, wanting a quick meal that just dared to thread through the lower levels of the dungeon.

Cithis made herself comfortable and laid her head down, closing her eyes slowly, letting out soft hums, trying to remember the melody coursing through her ears, as she slowly fell asleep after the long part of the journey through The Moor.

And this time, no nightmares or terrors came to torment her in the slumber, the tune of the abandoned ancient battlefield guarding her dreams.