Mas Bagus

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

“What we have here is teleportation.”

For some reason, the words sank in her deeper than Jazdia would have thought. Sure, back in her old days in the Organization, she had seen similar magic being tested, developed, and utilized in a very limited capacity. However, it was a tricky thing to work with, required a lot of power, and came with risks and rules that all combined make it somewhat impractical. To imagine they were literally picking up the superior specimen from the dirt makes the coincidence bizarre, to say the least.

But then she realized that they were standing near a vault that likely stored these kinds of items. However, this raised more questions than answers. The biggest one yet was: how it was out here and not in there?

“It’s dead, of course. It needs a new source of mana. I have to give credit to the people of the distant path. It managed to hold its identity even after several millennia. I’m not even sure if the elves alone are the ones who crafted it.”

"One thousand and eight hundred years ago..." Vesemir said, for once, he directed his attention away from the door that now sounds off multiple mechanical chatter and clacks, and directed it to the scepter, examining it just by looking, and then stroked his thin beard. He looked intrigued, but at the same time, doubtful.

“Teleportation...”

Vesemir could hear the masked knight's musing, but he let the man have the time to ponder it himself and turned to Fia.

"Miss Fia, if I heard you right, then this item could be the answer to the mystery we saw in that baleful chamber. It's running out of mana, you said? A dormant, but dangerous thing nonetheless. You hold on to it for now. Until we concluded our business here."
After saying that, the much-anticipated door behind him announced with a low, but distinguishable voice.

"Atil atsinta. Tuya naran let'atil. Salam, muaqar nathla!"

Vesemir's elven ears perked up upon hearing that, and he immediately scrambled toward the door, exclaiming something in mixed Elvish before reclaiming the keycard as the voice instructed.

"Yes! of course. Aywa! Im tèan!"

The door rumbled as it sank into the frame, and Vesemir walked in, seeing the ancient, well-lit corridor like a thing he had never seen before. It was wide, and the tiles were marble. This section was supported by an excessive number of pillars, which seemed to be the style of that time. Classic.

At the end of this corridor were two sets of doors: one was the heavy doors on the north, and two smaller doors on the western side. The heavy door had an engraved socket that matched Vesemir's keycard, while the smaller door was less sophisticated: the only thing that kept it shut was two metal bars that could be removed with bare hands. The feeling of dread similar to what they encountered earlier in the broken room, could be felt if one approaches those smaller doors, making the larger one seem like the obvious choice. However, perhaps your curiosity was stronger than your fear?

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

"That's definitely good news. Especially because... you know... Chests in a dungeon... On most stories, things like these always come with either traps or ambushes. You should rely on us a bit more. Running headfirst towards a possibly dangerous situation is never a good idea." Miwa said, delicately lecturing Verdant.

It was clear that the plan was scouting the path ahead, not a treasure retrieval. But what was done was done, and truth to be told, if there were traps, Jazdia would have seen them in her first scan and warned the party. The intention to claim the treasure together was to minimize the altercations that came with it; everyone would witness the treasure being found together, get it together, and open it together so no one would feel cheated.

But that too didn't seem to be in everyone's mind at the moment. The topics went on, and some of them took their time to inspect the findings, and yet Nobody was talking about dividing the wealth. So the moments stretched, and the rangers had grown uneasy.

"We should move now." Said Mr. Elc.

"Yeah, we should! More treasure awaits us in that vault."

The elves decided not to wait. It was now up to the rest of the party to distribute the gold among themselves. For now, the chest was secure in Verdant's possession, lugged around as they resumed their march into the tunnel. Jazdia and Vesemir, in particular, did not mind as long as the gold did not slow them down.

And finally, the first sign of masonry could be seen replacing the craggy wall, and in front of them was a ruined wall that exposed several small rooms behind. Dark and reeking of death, there was something eerie about that section that made even seasoned rangers like Jazdia and Mr. Elc reconsider. Not a mere ghost or supernatural entity, but something enigmatic and unfathomably evil, even the light from Vesemir's enchanted lantern couldn't penetrate.

"Is that our entrance?" Asked Vesemir, oddly enough, he seemed unaffected by dreadful whispers coming from that dark room. "and here I am already prepared the key access."

"I have no recollection of this..." Jazdia mused, gazing into that unnatural darkness that gazed back with a haunting lure. The elf quickly assessed that it was magic, a dark, necromantic type. Cast ages ago, but designed to linger. Jazdia took a step back as if it was fire that harmed.

"That can't be it." Eblana inched closer to Jazdia. "Right, miss? I... don't like the looks of it. It's like the darkness that can swallow you whole."

"Nonsense! I've been in many places like this. Black Magic? Pah! That's just your imagination, My Dear." Vesemir had had his hat fixed, shoulder square, "Follow me, Lads!" and he would have sauntered into that room had Mr. Elc not seized his arm and forcibly pulled him to his side.

"No. I'd have followed you if it were just us, but this party has a Navigator, and it is wise to listen to her before doing anything against our better judgment."

He shifted his gaze to Jazdia, silently asking her for alternatives.

"Seeing that wall, I do not doubt that this entrance may lead to that vault, but let us keep walking. I think the door I saw before should be near; otherwise, we can always return here."

True, the tunnel hadn't ended yet. There was another path to the right. It was still darkness whichever direction they chose, but at least it wasn't as creepy as that broken room they just left behind.

After roughly thirty strides, they saw a door.

"That must be it then?"

There were two skeletons near it. One wore knight armor. The other skeleton leaned against the wall, hugging a golden scepter that emanated an ancient magic. A scimitar and a greatsword lay between them and the door, and both suffered damage that could only be caused by madness or desperation.

"Yes."

Jazdia joined Vesemir as he examined the door, the last barrier that separated her from salvation. It was made of stainless steel and copper. Its surface bore numerous scratches and shallow dents, likely caused by broken blades. There was no visible keyhole; the door was a solid slab of metal and the only irregularity on its otherwise smooth surface was a small square area on the left, engraved with intricate patterns about the size of a person's palm.

"Yeah, no doubt about that. Though... this is not like what I've imagined."

"How was it in your imagination?"

The old elf ran his fingers along the smooth surfaces before answering solemnly. "More engravings, symbols, or heraldries. Things that show who we are."

Jazdia politely let the scholar savor his moments before asking the big question.

"Any idea how to open it?"

Vesemir did not answer with a word; he enthusiastically fished out a card from his suit pocket. It was made of silver, like a miniature of the door itself, with similar engravement on one side of it. The moment Vesemir placed the card on that engraving, the lines started to glow, but the process was not instant. The glow flashed multiple times, and she could have sworn there was a faint voice somewhere behind the walls.

"That's gold, ain't it?" Someone said. Jazdia looked over her shoulder, thinking they might be referring to the door. Turns out it was Stepan. The man observed the skeleton, but there was something unnatural in his voice when he talked about gold and he did not sound like himself.

"Right. I know it looks tempting, but it is wise to exercise some caution." Fully turned back toward the party, Jazdia continued. "Miss Fia, would you mind handling that scepter and seeing what it is all about?

Map

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

“Interesting? Dearie, that is probably one of the least interesting things about my capabilities. All the same, thank you for the compliment.Unlike those casters from academia, or who hide out in their palaces, I derive my magic from more primal sources. If you’re curious, darling, I can tell you more about it when we are somewhere less... drab."

"It would be a pleasure to gain new knowledge. I will take that offer then, thank you," answered Jazdia finally, smiling earnestly. Jazdia remembered the last time she read a magical tome; it was during her last days in Daystar Academy some 25 years ago. She took a three-year course there, not to learn ways of wizardry, but rather to deepen her understanding of her own magical capability. Mostly for combat, and nothing else. Her overall magical aptitude was always limited at best, and it was a practical decision to focus on what she was always good at.

So it was a bit of a new experience for her to see someone performing an array of spells that even the brightest student in Daystar struggled to master: versatility, flexibility, and variance.

"I found shinies!"

Despite Verdant's attempt not to announce her findings out loud, her voice was too distinctive it immediately seized Jazdia's full attention.

"That's... fast," she remarked. Vigilant as ever, Jazdia glanced at the tunnel the explorer just left behind and half expected the devourers would leap out of the darkness. Nothing happened, and at that point, she realized that she needed to lower her stress level down several notches.

"Well, well, look at that." Stepan was seen rubbing his palm, while Vesemir reacted to the good news like a proud father.

Mr Elc approached Jazdia to spy on the findings. But with his mask still covering half of his face, it was hard to say if he was impressed or disappointed.

"I must say, had I known there was this much gold hidden in those tunnels would have volunteered. I wonder how many it is."

"Enough to buy Vesemir seven more mercenaries."

Not even gold coins escaped Jazdia's scrutiny. Locks and the chest itself were obviously something designed by Westernant workshop, and when Verdant proudly showed the insides, the glittering coins were not at all ancient. It was recent, still in circulation, and they were found in the section where human knights fell. Jazdia felt a sudden surge of uneasiness, and at that moment, she remembered Rezello.

But the elf did not say anything.

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

@Akari
"No worries. One of my clones can be replaced instant. Great thing is. We have a shared memories, so I could used it as a scout."

"Is that so?" Replied Stepan, sounding intrigued. "Means all good, all bad, all pleasant and all nasty your other bodies feel, you feel it too?"

The shinobi nodded.

"If they are dead, by all manner of killin', you'd remember it too? Damn Gal! I wonder how you've stayed sane all these years. Do they behave like you do? Techniques, strategy, and all?"

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

When Jazdia saw Akari's clone propel herself away, she couldn't decide if she should feel relieved or worried.

"Should have asked her not to run," quipped Stepan.

Mr Elc joined them to see the clone run off.

"Nah, it's fine. If she somehow ran into any devourer, we would know it."

"Thankfully, there will be no bodies to retrieve, eh?"

"Ain't that right."

Jazdia could only let out an inaudible groan. Two men gossiping as if they didn't realize that the real one was still with them was quite a silly situation to see. Diverting her attention to Fia, she made small talk to kill time.
"That's an interesting spell. To command it to follow someone other than the caster is not something that can usually be done in seconds."

@Randomness

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

"I dont need light source! Be right back!"

A high-pitched version of Verdant's voice echoed from the little serpent before she shot right off into the darkness, leaving the rapidly receding soft susurration of a slithering serpent in her wake.

And then she was gone, and Akari was left behind.

"Well, if you want to catch up with her, you'd better do it fast."

It was quite intriguing that Vesemir did not offer his lantern. Usually, the old elf would jump straight ahead to offer a solution. The lantern was special, true, but hunting for treasure usually came with a prospect of finding a historical artifact.

"Usually I could lit some own fire... But I think I prefer to borrow some from Sire Rezello..."

In all honesty, the unpreparedness on the Shinobi's part was duly noted with a sigh, and the elf, visibly perplexed and tired, was ready to pluck one of her arrows to give this clone of a lousy spy some light so she wouldn't jump into a dark abyss.

But Fia would step in, flicking her wrist forward to conjure a small ball of light and then guide it to be next to Akari. It glowed in a similar intensity to Rezello's candlelight and seemed 'smart' enough to follow whoever the spell was assigned to. "How convenient".
“Here you go, darling. Treasure awaits us.”

@Akari

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

<Snipped quote>

"The treasure is on the right path, our destination is to the left. What path will you choose?"

@Randomness

@Randomness

“I am always weak for treasure, darling. Seeking answers is the main goal, yes. However, to wander the lands the world chose to ignore and not bring back souvenirs. Well, that feels like a crime. You said that none of those devourers were in this section of the caves? What harm is there in a slight detour?”

"Very well," Jazdia said. There was nothing in her tone and expression but a sheer indifference that apparently did not discourage the others from expressing similar interest in that chest full of gold. And honestly, she thought they shouldn't.

"I see no problems in making a small detour, should you guys want to check the treasure."

@13org
Miwa said. Seemingly emboldened by Fia's words. Another party member stepped up, it was Verdant.

"As for the treasure, I can head off real quick to take a look? Shouldn't take long at all."

With that the diminutive serpent shrank, all the way into a tiny little snake barely as long as one's forearm. With a flick of the tail she circled around Miwa and Fia with surprisingly swift pace, small trail of dust rising in her wake.

She's fast, got pretty good darksight, and small enough to avoid notice. Practically made for the job, and Jazdia did not see any reason to say no to such a simple plan.

@Akari

"I don't mind to go first for better caution and for scouting. All of us have shared memories and it we could easily replace the lost figure when something happened."

Akari's sudden entry into the conversation and the appearance of her clone near her took Jazdia off guard, enough to slightly shake her stolid demeanor. And again, she found the proposition solid despite a few things they all should notice.

But before the elf could say her approval, she realized that saying yes was not her call. Vesemir was still their party leader, and she quickly transferred his gaze to the old elf, who seemed lost in his own thought.

"Vesemir?"

"Ah, yes. About the treasure? Well, the vault isn't going anywhere, and the treasure is near. It's all yours to take. Consider it a perk of the job, eh?"

Jazdia turned her attention back to Akari and Verdant, who had turned into a very enthusiastic little viper. "Go straight, and you will find another chamber. In that chamber, you will see a set of stairs that leads into an elevated room. Careful, there is another rift in that path---"

Jazdia suddenly pressed a knuckle to her forehead. Apparently, there was a flaw in that plan she had almost overlooked. That damn curse was making her decision-making sloppy. "I almost forgot. Akari, do you have anything to light up the path? Your clone cannot go without one."

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

“I appreciate the offer, but in their state I’m not sure I could identify most of them... nor am I certain whether there would be any next of kin to return them to.” With a wave of his hand he extinguished the second spark he had been using to inspect the bodies before continuing, “Aside from myself, I only know of twelve others that evaded the disappearance in Scheel, and I’m not entirely certain of their current whereabouts...”

"I... I see, I hope there is some answer you can earn from this expedition." Vesemir tapped the knight's pauldron and moved on. He was aware of how his offer could sound like a fake decency, but God knows he meant every word he said.

"Feel bad for Master Rezello," he mused as he walked closer to Eblana and Jazdia. "Only nine survived, including him. I could only imagine how hard it is, being one of the few who survived."

Eblana could only sigh, while Jazdia had no comment on that matter. She turned and walked toward the exit, ready to leave this gloomy place. On her way, she noticed that Verdant was chatty again, which was a good thing.

"I dont think they're very smart at all. The light is an, uh, anom-ally? But none of them comes to check it out."

"Now you say that, I agree. We have been wondering why, but considering this has been a tried-and-true trick, we rangers didn't think much about it." Answered mr Elc, fixing his mask before continuing. "The fact that whoever is above my pay grade doesn't show any interest in studying these creatures doesn't help either."

"They would if it serves the national interest, but that's very unlikely given the history of this place. So, I'm afraid there won't be any nation-sponsored journal for it in the foreseeable future. Let's temper our hopes; we have come this far, which means our guesses are working. Those devourers aren't getting any smarter, but they might return. Let's get going."

As their brief visit to the grim chamber concluded, Jazdia, out of curiosity, glanced back. She could have sworn she saw the shadows of the fallen rematerialize as the light from Vesemir's lantern faded away.

The path ahead inclined gently, revealing openings that, in the dim light, appeared as a four-meter-wide chasm of unknown depth. Clusters of glowing mushrooms lined the sides of the path, sprouting on dried skeletons and gaps where blood and human remains were once stuck.

Jazdia plucked one of the mushrooms and tossed it into the chasm, and it landed on what looked like a solid floor, just six meters below.

Not far from that 'chasm', the road in front of them was branched again. To the right or to the left? Their navigator had not made her choice, nor had she activated her eyes to check if they had gone astray. She simply stopped and inquired.

"The treasure is on the right path, our destination is to the left. What path will you choose?"

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

"Mr. Elc, would you happen to know if these creatures have a particularly keen sight or they use mostly hearing and smell to orientate themselves? Should we find ourselves in a... difficult situation where fighting shows itself to not be the best option... Exploiting their keen senses might be a very good idea. Be it a flash of bright light or a particularly loud noise with a high frequency..."

Miwa had to wait until she arrived in that large hall before the masked elf finally brought the topic back.

"They are practically blind, but somehow they can locate their victim in total darkness. Did the keen hearing contribute to that mastery? Likely so, but can we use a loud noise to stop it? I doubt it. The night before you arrived in our camp, we dealt with a few of them, and the explosion from Miss Jazdia's was as loud as you could imagine, yet they stayed at their position unflinched. I'd put my bet more on the light, but to say it is benefiting us is a matter of debate, and it only has to be used as a last resort."

Pausing to, he then continued after recalling experiences. "What I mean by that is like this: We keep the light around us, but only at low intensity. It was to mask our presence. The balance had to be maintained. No light, and we will be visible to them, too much of it, and they will see it as a beacon worth attacking. Sure, they can be blinded with a bright flash of light, but it will only stop them for a while, and if some of them couldn't get us, they will resort to calling their brethren, and... we really don't want that fight, even if Vesemir's lantern is as bright as the sun. Light does not hurt them physically, and devourers are known to be a bunch of persistent creatures, and in this tunnel, sense of direction mattered less if there were only two directions for them to attack. And I'am sure they employed the same tactic on these people."

When Mr. Elc spoke about the "people," the young sojourner finally looked around to see what the elves had been discussing earlier.

"Gods... There are probably children among these bones... To die in such a place... Without even receiving a proper burial..."

It was indeed terrible, and He let Miwa do her prayer. Moments passed before the same question that had been troubling them resurfaced again.

"What exactly happened here... Were they purposely corralled into these caves and cornered by the creatures? If they are smart enough to employ such tactics, we should be very careful..."

"I wish I could answer that," said the masked elf. "However, I doubt that this is a regular thing. The bones are uniformly old. Means the slaughtering was a one-time occurrence. And no, they might be smart for a feral creature, but they aren't that smart to put a collar around the neck."

Despite saying that, Mr Elc felt it did little to ease his mind, and he diverted his attention to the westernant knight, who had been examining a few corners thoroughly. His guts told him that Rezello knew who they were. The question was, if this had occurred ten years ago, how the heck had he never heard about it? The number of people was too many; there should have been one or two survivors to tell a tale or ask for the rescue. Were they here for something illicit? The kind of business they didn't want the Varenheim government to know? With women and children?

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

Vesemir sniffed the air and shook his head. Dusty environments had been the bread and butter of his work, and he was no stranger to examining half-buried skeletons. However, this one was different; they were not unearthed bones that belonged to persons buried eons ago, these were recent, and seeing this many in one place brought up the reality of the enterprise he was currently leading. That in this place, death was sometimes far and sometimes as near as the jugular in one's neck.

"My condolences, sir Rezello," he said, and then a pause ensued as the old Scholar searched for words that could convey his curiosity but did not sound thoughtless. "I assume you know some of them. I could arrange another expedition to return them to their next of kins, that, if you don't mind, of course."
@Valkon