Howard looked at Priam like he was an idiot.

"Why? You're right here, and the cameras have shitty quality." Probably. Going to the security office and asking for the footage would reveal that Howard had no idea how extracting video feeds worked. Hell, he'd probably open all of the submarine doors on accident trying to extact it. "Now stand still."

Snap.

"Whoops. Took one of myself. Gimme a sec..." He fumbled with the settings as Priam's flesh continued to freeze and darken. "There we go!"

Snap.

This time, the photo was taken properly. Howard beamed at it, before helping pry Priam away from Regice's frozen body. After a few agonizing moments, Priam was safe from the golem's chilling clutches. Howard allowed himself a sigh of relief.

"Nice work! This photo will be a big help!" He beamed at Priam, as if he hadn't caused the grunt a great deal of discomfort. "Your arm's pretty roughed up, though."

---

priam conrad

If Priam really wanted a few cool scars, Howard was perfectly willing arrange that. All it'd take was for Howard to lock the grunt in a room with bryan delarosa and watch the fireworks.

"No matter what you do, Priam, you'll never compete with my scar. The eyepatch makes me the coolest guy on this sub." Howard tapped the eyepatch for reference. Even the admin's biggest critics had to admit that Howard Slayte had style. "If you're concerned, I'll get you patched in the clinic."

A logical person would've asked why Howard didn't own a Pokémon with Heal Pulse. The answer was very simple. He'd never make a mistake that would result in him getting hurt. Ever.

His missing eye twitched.

"Shhh." Howard clapped him on the shoulder as he realized Priam was three seconds away from a breakdown. "That was very brave."

His eye lingered past Priam, towards the Odd Regi Statue that remained on the floor. Three of the eyes sparkled with a hidden light. Two more than what the statue had when he and Cillian Quinn plundered the statue from the ruin.

"You good?"

---

priam conrad

Did it mean anything? Howard plucked the statue from the ground and moved it between his fingers. Three eyes of indistinct color gleamed in the sockets, leaving the remainder empty. As he ran his fingers across the indented braille pattern on the statue, he frowned.

"You're right. At least, I think you are. But we don't have five with us. We only have one." The one in question beeped innocently from outside Priam's room. Howard's lip tightened. "Maybe it's ones you've only come in contact with?"

It was a collector's item, but it was an item whose value was finally revealing itself after years of inactivity. Why was it glimmering now?

"Or perhaps it tells us which ones are active..." Howard frowned. He had seen Regirock, Regice, and Regieleki so far. "How does this thing work?"

He wondered if the League had something similar. He'd have to ask Navy or a loudmouthed public servant.

"It means, Priam, that the journey isn't over. There's other ruins left to explore." He turned to Priam. "Mind if I borrow this?"

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priam conrad

It was a reasonable request. There was no need to hoard knowledge, especially when Howard believed that information was best freely given.

"Perfectly reasonable. Those terms are fair." Another person would've laughed in Priam's face, but Howard still felt like a grunt at heart. Priam felt like a nice guy, which wasn't important. He was also pretty buff, which also wasn't important. "As long as you promise to learn something."

That wouldn't be too difficult. The Regi Ruins were chock full of information.

"I'll mess with this little gizmo, see if I can get it to do anything." If it hadn't done anything for a few years, it likely wouldn't now, but still, who knew? Maybe times were changing, and the small statue's purpose was about to become clear. "I'll call you if it does."

The journey hadn't ended. It was just beginning.

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priam conrad